Spiritual Successor
by Tohka Yatogami
Summary: Over 30 years ago, the world was nearly destroyed in a horrible catastrophe. However, a spiritual force saved it without Humanity's notice, restoring it anew with things once believed to be fantasy. Now, with the world at risk once again, it is time for a successor to wear this mantle. (Spoilers for Volume 18 and up) [Shido/Harem, with Mio as the Main Girl]
1. Starting from Zero

**Surprise everyone! Just as I decided to submit the first chapter of Date A Re:Live on Tohka's birthday, I decided to create a new story to mark what's likely to be Mio's birthday. During my time making DARL, there were some ideas that I liked, some ideas that I didn't like, other ideas I regret ever using, and ideas I felt could have or should have done/used differently.**

 **With that and the fact that we've recently had V18 released in my mind, I thought: "Why not try the whole idea concept that DAR:L was based on again, but in a new form?" In the end, I did, so I gladly welcome you to my newest DAL story... Spiritual Successor! Now, for the biggest question that I'm expecting most people will ask me, how will this story be different compared to its predecessor?**

 **The answer to that is while this one will also be a harem, Mio will be the lead girl this time, and the harem itself... will include every Spirit (except Rio) in it! It will also be closer to DAL's canon lore, which will include things from Date A Bullet and what it's revealed about the Spirit Dimension. However, the most important thing will be that I won't be in a rush to progress the story.**

 **This time, the aftermath of Spirits being sealed will be considered, so there will be times story progression will take breaks to allow things like the Hot Springs episode from Season 1 and/or actually showing development between Shido and the girls in his harem. While there's no guarantee of this, I want to try making this story part of a series, not unlike my DxD Trilogy that some of you may already be familiar with.**

 **Before we fully begin, the last things I need to address are how Ratatoskr, DEM, and the Non-Sephira Spirits will be shown through this version. Like in the original, I'm boosting Ratatoskr's strength, but the DEM will not be as weakened as before due to a reason you'll see soon enough. Finally, the Non-Sephira Spirits have little in common with their canon selves, also for a reason you'll see eventually.**

 **Now with all of that said, it's time to begin!**

* * *

 **[Chapter 1 - Starting from Zero]**

Deep within the reaches of England, a group of four, specifically two men and two women, were seen crossing through a mountainous area. Their current attire consisted of robes that were a dull gold color, styled like modernized version of the clothes that the peasants of the medieval ages wore.

Looking through his goggles, one of the men who was also the group's leader focused his eyes on the horizon, putting a hand above them to block the incoming snow.

"Nigel, you sure this is as big as rumors say?" One of the women asked.

"I'm sure of it Karen, and that's why we should hurry before they can find us." Nigel answered.

Motioning his hand, the other three quickly followed him, crossing through more of the mountains as they hurried to apparently avoid something, either something that was chasing after them, or something they needed to avoid running into at all costs.

As they were rushing through the icy environment, the other man suddenly collapsed as a sudden pain shot through his leg, making him wince as he reflexively held onto it.

"Virgil, are you alright?" Nigel asked.

"I'm fine, I think I just stressed the muscle slightly..." Virgil grunted in reassurance.

"Just don't push yourself, you know how serious that injury is." Karen reminded him.

As they prepared to walk further down the path, they heard the sound of a pebble landing near them. This caused three of the quartet to turn as their group's still unnamed member waved to them, standing near an area they had somehow missed.

"Guys, I think I hit the mother lode." She whispered.

Following her into the hidden area she had discovered, they soon found something they couldn't believe... a secret hideout belonging to their enemies! Even better, it had the very information they had been searching for.

"Reine, try to decipher as much of this as you can before we hear or see any signs of their forces approaching." Nigel requested.

"Kabbalah." Reine promised, using their sacred code.

Quickly unfolding a map and grabbing every related paper she could find, Reine immediately turned on a device with the information they needed, quickly adding it to their maps. While she was doing this, she looked over said papers for additional references... until she found a hidden message.

"Gods no... Nigel, you need to see this!" Reine exclaimed.

"Hmm? Reine, what did... you..." Nigel asked, walking over.

He lost his voice as he looked at the information she saw, all while Reine added it to their map. The result was 25 areas having an X sketched over them... all places they knew of.

All places that, based on what they were positive those X marks meant... had been completely purged, along with their people.

"Nigel, what did Reine find?" Virgil asked.

"They... they've destroyed 25 of our peoples' homes, full casualties confirmed in each..." Nigel answered, his voice shaking a bit.

Virgil and Karen silently gasped at that, briefly turning towards them.

"Are you serious?" Virgil questioned.

"Just how many of us have they destroyed if that isn't the most recent update?" Karen quietly wondered.

A sudden shake was heard, making a bit of rock dust fall.

"Aircraft spotted, we've gotta go!" Karen exclaimed.

"Damn it!" Virgil screamed in anger.

Reine immediately smashed the device with a rock, having gathered all the information inside of it, then stole every paper before putting them in her bag.

With all of that complete, each of them took out their wands, preparing for the worst.

And the worst soon came, with various grenades being tossed out of some advanced hovercraft resembling a helicopter. Said grenades quickly hit areas of the mountain as the group of four hid in one spot.

"Damn it, they created a helicopter that can fly through this kind of blizzard?" Virgil whispered worriedly.

"Looks like they know we're the ones who came here... if it's us, they'll do whatever they need to achieve their bloody goals." Nigel replied, gritting his teeth.

Nigel listened as his group hid, hoping the hovercraft would pass by and give them a chance.

"Pilot to Vehicle, can you verify the target's status?" The pilot asked.

 _"Heat signature detected in the area, targets are confirmed nearby. Do not leave to maximize chances of detecting them."_ The Helicopter AI answered.

Hearing that, Nigel sweated before looking at Reine, who breathed heavily as she looked at him in response.

"Reine, how long would it take to translate and share some of the information you've learned with the three of us?" Nigel asked.

Reine gave a response of silence, and Nigel realized what that meant... they didn't have the time for such a luxury. Knowing what this meant, Nigel put his hands on Karen and Virgil's shoulders, giving them a certain look as he took a deep breath.

"Nigel?" Reine asked worriedly.

"Reine, listen to me... I'm not sure if we'll all make it back alive like this, so we're going to buy you time to escape. You're to start heading back home without us." Nigel ordered.

She gasped at that, and before she could even say anything in reply...

"If none of us make it back alive, you must be the leader of our people. You have to do this for us." Virgil stated.

"Promise that you'll take care of our children... little sister." Karen smiled, tears in her eyes.

Reine shook her head, unable to believe this.

"No, I can't do it... I-" She tried to say.

Karen immediately pushed her away, making her nearly trip as Virgil rushed into view.

"Over here, you bastards!" He screamed.

The helicopter pilot immediately caught his words, seeing Nigel and Karen follow him into view as they held out their wands, which were forming runic symbols as they chanted a spell.

"I've got you now!" The pilot smirked, readying his weapons.

 **"Excandescunt!"**

Their wands immediately released a large burst of flames, clashing with the aircraft's weapons as a huge burst of flame covered the area. Reine cried as she saw the trio run to a different area in response.

"No... I should be the sacrifice, not you three." Reine cried.

She quickly ran away, avoiding the sight of the hovercraft unleashing all its weaponry against the three, who in return cast all the defense magic they could. As she propelled herself to a higher elevation through a wind spell...

*"RUMBLE!"*

Turning around, Reine gasped as she saw the sight of a huge avalanche result from their clashing forces, making her gasp as she ran to escape its threat.

"Please, let this be good for them. Let it keep them safe!" Reine begged.

Unfortunately, fate had a different plan in mind as loud screams were heard, making her panic as she rushed to find a safe spot. When she finally made it, the sight she saw was one she wished her eyes had failed to see.

It was all three of them and the helicopter being caught in the avalanche, causing the heavy snow to push them into the lower area of the mountains... with the aircraft exploding in fiery horror as it struck the bottom.

"No... no!" Reine whimpered, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

She collapsed onto her knees, making her hood come off and reveal she was a woman in her 20's, having silver hair tied in a ponytail on the right side of her head.

"Nigel! Virgil! Karen!" Reine screamed.

She immediately laid her head in the snow, ignoring the cold as she released a loud cry in response.

* * *

The scene opened up to an image of the Earth, but it wasn't the same as people once knew it. To those who viewed it from up in space, you could see the addition of greenery to the land, while the areas marking the North and South Poles were no longer ice, but actual land.

Not only that, but the realm of space seemed different, with streams of energy flowing around its dark blue-purple form and the Earth. The sun and moon shown glowing... through the light and dark sides of its atmosphere!

Meanwhile, on the actual surface, one could see a more colorful world than just the green that was still the primary color along with the blue coming from the ocean and the sky. In fact, one couldn't notice the ruins of suffering nations, if any.

 ** _"It all began 30 years ago, during the year of 2027. The day had begun like any other before it, with no one on Earth realizing that on that day, every tomorrow would never be the same as the yesterday before it."_**

Everything briefly flashed back to the Earth were more familiar with, showing the familiar green grass and blue skies people were more familiar with. The area in specific was an unknown field by a mountain range.

A single butterfly saw a flower to land on and did so... only for a sudden wave of some kind of energy to wash through the area, making it fly off as its instincts screamed of an incoming danger. Unfortunately, the poor creature would never realize it was flying away in vain, as without any warning... the sky suddenly began to swirl. To anyone that saw it at the time, it just seemed like a hurricane was about to form.

However, it quickly became clear that the sky was swirling way too fast for a hurricane to form and more energy waves began shooting out, with the nearby rocks forming the landscape and slight mountains beginning to crumble into a few shards as the swirling actually made the land shake.

Finally, the true horror began, one that would have made anyone unlucky to be at the epicenter of what was about to happen... the sky began stretching towards the ground! It looked fairly rounded at first, as if the sky was actually falling, but quickly grew out into a focal point, becoming a sharp tip that aimed itself towards the ground as if trying to drill a hole through it.

 ** _"The land itself was said to have been roaring, the oceans began raging, and then... the sky stretched down like a sharp needle, as if to represent the Heavens were attempting to pierce the Earth. At first, it began somewhere harmless, an unsettled area of the world barely touched by Human hands if not entirely untouched, but before anyone knew it..."_**

After an entire minute since the swirling began, the sharp tip hit the ground, and then...

*"BOOM!"*

Rather than piercing the ground, the tip caused the entire area to explode! However, the explosion a burst of searing flames, but an expanding dome of pure force with a dark color and savage movement (almost black darkness in energy form), leaving only brief ripples of every color in the rainbow shining through its ever-growing surface.

In just minutes, a nearby town suddenly heard a sound, with a sudden dust storm being pushed over, confusing everyone as they went into a panic. Unfortunately, for everyone that lived there? Regardless if they were male, female, old, or young... they were instantly thrown into the air before they were completely vaporized by the energy dome devouring the entire town!

Such horror was finally caught by satellite footage, instantly forcing an emergency broadcast to everyone in the world by all forms of media and related devices to warn them of this unknown disaster. However, that warning meant little when before most could get it, another 49 explosions went off across the globe in a chain reaction.

 ** _"As if to mark the rage of the Grim Reaper before he slaughtered the world... no, as if even the Grim Reaper was murdered while Earthly Laws were shattered through a force used by the Gods or something beyond even them, they began."_**

 ** _"Spacequakes."_**

 ** _"That's the term that was given to the unprecedented phenomenon that attacked the world that day, then continued to plague the world for another six terrifying months. The lands that were hit by them were flattened, completely incinerated as if the flames of Hell chose to devour them, yet was never satiated with their feasts."_**

Without any rescue workers that had learned to deal with such catastrophes, the results of the damages were too great for anyone to simply define the results as chaotic. For how the specifics of the damage could be defined?

Many were shown crying for those they lost, while others screamed as they lost their minds, and others wandered aimlessly like broken toys that didn't even realize they had been damaged. Volcanoes were seen leaking, just as damaged as the world, while smoke billowed across the cities that weren't fully devoured, covering most of the skies in as if they too had been scarred.

It was truly a living nightmare for everyone, regardless if they were part of the damages... or just hearing of them.

 ** _"From the first Spacequake alone, which decimated a large area of the Eurasian Continent, there was an estimated 150 million casualties. After that, the ones that hit the USA, Brazil, China, England, Germany, France, Russia, Japan, India, and forty other locations across the world, it was clear how much damage had been done to Humanity."_**

 ** _"Out of the 10 billion that lived when everything began... authorities had estimated 2 billion casualties. What was worse? During this time, all that anyone could do was run away or hope they'd never be in the range of destruction."_**

Eventually, the period of six months finally came to an end, leaving a remnant of the surviving 8 Billion in their ruined shells of a home. Among the survivors, those who had any skills related to the satellites that caught the original quake quickly began gathering all the information they had.

Just because the Spacequakes had stopped didn't mean that they were gone for good, so the last 30% of Humanity wisely chose to fear every loud sound they heard.

 ** _"Eventually, people managed to discover the source of the Spacequakes. For reasons we never fully understood, an area of space would suddenly begin to vibrate, distorting its dimensional plane like the proposed theory of intense gravity warping the laws of physics in a certain area, and twisting it until it compressed into a singularity."_**

 ** _"Once that singularity was unable to shrink any further, it became stronger than even a fusion-based weapon, acting like a miniature big bang. With this information, the term of Spacequake was officially coined. With this knowledge, everyone was sure they were prepared... until the true nightmare began."_**

Then, out of nowhere... the world was suddenly seen cracking, turning a fierce black and red color as everyone expected what looked to truly be the end of the world.

 ** _"It wasn't long before the threat of the Spacequakes truly revealed themselves to the world, as the intense damage they left finally destabilized everything, and with it... the world began to die. Everything went black or dark as the Earth began to rip apart, becoming the true worst disaster in Human history."_**

 ** _"The Day of the Black Earth."_**

 ** _"The entire planet was hit with a slow and gradual version of the destruction brought by Spacequakes, further shrinking Humanity's numbers until they were less than a billion strong. All of them began to accept the inevitable, knowing that at the very least, they were together. Then, just as all of Humanity believed they had no hope of seeing tomorrow..."_**

A flash suddenly emitted itself from the Earth, showing a white version of the original Spacequake, but instead of a dome that ate whatever it hit... it was a powerful glow that embraced and healed it with a rainbow light!

 ** _"A miracle happened!"_**

The survivors of Humanity all suddenly opened their eyes, seeing the form Earth took in the present.

All of the plant life, all of the animals grazing around, the great blue skies, the vast oceans, and more... everything that had believed to been razed and swallowed in Earth's apparent end?

It was all here, just like they were.

 ** _"No one knows what happened, but... it seems that when the Spacequakes damaged the world, they also created a change in it. What everyone saw as the end? It was just a new beginning, an evolution of the world as they once knew it. Humanity was given a second chance, and they did not waste it."_**

 ** _"Thanks to a certain organization who managed to study the Spacequakes fully, it wasn't long until Humanity learned how the planet was touched and then discover a powerful new energy source. The remnants of Humanity came together, putting their differences aside to rebuild with this new energy, creating a miraculous new technology that helped society quickly recover to its Pre-Spacequake state."_**

 ** _"Soon, Humanity learned not only was the land itself touched, but so were they. As the next generation of this new world was born, the energy that changed the world was found in the first children that were born into this new era, granting them phenomenal physical abilities and skills."_**

In a city within the restored United States of America, a boy was walking by when he suddenly heard the scream of a girl, who reached out the window as the papers for a college essay were carried away by the wind.

"No, please come back!" She begged.

Seeing her plight, the boy launched into the air, using a nearby flag pole to swing himself towards the papers. Seeing him catch them, the girl sighed in relief.

Moments later, the boy jumped near the girl's window, holding out the very papers he saved.

"I believe this is yours?" He smiled.

"Thank you." She smiled in relief.

 ** _"Just why did the Spacequakes happen? What changed to make them happen? Was it natural or artificial? Was someone responsible, or was no one to blame, intentionally or otherwise? No one knows for sure, and while its true Humanity was freed from chains that had held it back, allowing everyone to become better for it... they still paid a heavy price through all the lives that were taken."_**

 ** _"Eventually, around 5 years ago, the Spacequakes finally returned to plague the world, but this time Humanity was ready, and made proper measures against them. Nowadays, it's incredibly rare for a Spacequake to claim a single casualty, leaving it easier to study the strange phenomenon that may have very well changed the world. To this day, they still search for the answers to the truth..."_**

 ** _"Little did any of them know that in the country of Japan, within a city made on top of the crater of the first Spacequake to hit it, those answers would finally reveal themselves. How the events of 30 years ago began, and most of all... how they may do so again."_**

Standing on a notable viewpoint in Tenguu City, a single boy stood on his own, looking out towards the view before him as he just took in the air in preparation for what he'd knowingly and unknowingly face tomorrow.

 ** _"But first, let us begin this story from where it truly began..."_**

The screen faded to black as things were sent back to the vital moment that created the present day, the single event that nearly ended caused the Earth's destruction.

* * *

 _As the world began cracking apart, a single silhouette moved at incredible speeds to reach a certain destination, dodging various explosions being fired at them from some kind of hovering land vehicle._

 _Unleashing another shot, one of the explosions managed to get in the silhouette's path, making them tumble a bit. When they finally stopped, said silhouette was revealed to be humanoid in shape, possessing curves that confirmed them as female._

 _"You've reached your limit! Just give up and hand over what we desire!" The driver demanded._

 _"Never! I will not let... your actions destroy this world! I will save it... and my family!" She shouted._

 _The vehicle fired again, right as she gave a mighty scream._

 _Thankfully for her, it allowed her to force enough of her remaining strength to create a barrier that pushed the incoming fire away. The driver's eyes widened in surprise as it also forced the vehicle back._

 ** _"All vehicle motor functions have been disabled, driving is now impossible."_** _The Vehicle AI said, heavy static in their voice._

 _"What? No!" The Driver roared, slamming the wheel._

 _Collapsing onto her knees from the burst of power, the unknown female looked to a large chasm she had been heading towards, forcing her legs to trudge along._

 _"I... have to make it, I'm... almost there." She panted._

 _She trudged a bit further as Earth's surface continued cracking, further bringing it to the end she was trying to prevent. Eventually, her legs gave out, forcing her to use her hands to crawl her way over._

 _After another minute or two, she finally made it to a large chasm, revealing the worst of the chaos that was engulfing the world. Holding her hand up, she tried to unleash some power to cancel it out... only to look horrified when it was shredded apart by the chasm's greater power._

 _"Is this... my limit? Is this where it all ends for... everyone? For all of my friends, my family, and... my own life?" She cried, watching everything keep getting worse._

 _At that moment, a teddy bear fell off her form, making her see it._

 _As she looked into its eyes, she came to a realization, and closed her eyes as she weakly held out her hand to it._

 _"No, this isn't it... I can't let it end this way! I won't!" She grunted._

 _Her fingers were only inches away from the blue teddy bear's form._

 _"Just how many have... died because of all of this? If I do nothing... if I fail here... then everything about me will be meaningless in the end! This ashen world will... never regain its beautiful colors!" She screamed, finding a renewed strength._

 _Managing to touch the bear, she focused her thoughts as a ribbon materialized into existence, which then tied itself to the teddy bear's form._

 _"Shin... please forgive me, but in order to keep my promise to save the world... I have to break my promise to you." She apologized._

 _She immediately raised her hand, sending the teddy bear across the sky as it was teleported somewhere. With all of that taken care of, she smiled before forcing herself into the chasm, making herself fall into the rampant ocean of power as it hammered against her form, revealing her to be a teenage girl._

 **[** **Wreck it Ralph: You're My Hero - Ralph's Speech** **]**

 _Despite the pain being enough she screamed, the girl kept pressing on as she dove deeper, eventually reaching the epicenter of the disastrous power... the Earth's core._

 _"I'm... almost there, I can... do this." She grunted._

 _Reaching out with all of her strength, any pain she felt before faded away as the realization she would be able to save everyone and everything, as long as she kept moving._

 _"So, this is it... how I die." She said to herself, feeling strangely calm._

 _Closing her eyes, everything that lead her to this moment in the last six months, feeling all of her best memories flash through her mind._

 _"I learned what it meant to be happy..."_

 _She remembered first meeting the friends that she came to see as family, along with experiencing love for the first time._

 _"I came to understand being angered..."_

 _She remembered the one time her closest friends were threatened, and how she stood to defend them no matter the cost._

 _"I suffered the displeasure of sadness..."_

 _She remembered getting her heart broken, and how awful it had felt to experience such sorrows, along with how it lingered._

 _And just like that, she began to cry._

 _"This world... when I first came here, everything was a mystery to me. I was so scared that I kept running without even knowing why I did, neither knowing who or what I was. Despite that, even though you knew as little as I did, you gave me your hand without hesitation. From there, you gave me my name, you gave me a home, and you gave me a family."_

 _Her body started to glow, starting as a silvery color that barely shined through the rampant power._

 _"You all taught me what it meant to be alive... no, you taught me what it meant... to be Human, and because of that? This world I came into, a world I originally saw as gray and ashen, became filled with a rainbow of colors that made my life worth living!"_

 _In response to her words, her silvery glow turned into a kaleidoscope of colors that shred through the chaotic powers, marking a strange symbol with her as its center point._

 _"Because of your kindness, I can say that I've lived a full life without any regrets! So, know this Shin... you, Mana, Ellen, Ike, Elliot, Haruko, and Tatsuo still have your lives to live, and your dreams to achieve. In my heart, there's no need for me to dream, because I've already lived it through all of you. Thank you for everything, so now... keep living, for my sake."_

 _With those words, she fell into the core of the Earth, extending her arms out as if waiting for a hug. Her eyes closed as she felt the last of her tears flow out._

 _"Thank you... for everything." She whispered, a big smile on her face._

 _The symbol around her fully formed, transforming into what looked like the Sephirot before it began to alter, though how it changed was left unseen as at that moment... a large white flash spread out and eliminated the chaotic energies._

 _From within the chasm, that white energy suddenly spread and enveloped across the world._

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

 _The surviving humans all came together, expecting this to be their final moments, but for a certain group of seven? It was a different story as they saw the blackness getting swallowed by the light._

 _"Mio... you did it." Shin breathed, tearing up as he smiled._

 _Before now, the world had been damaged to the point of complete destruction by the chaotic black energy tied to the Spacequakes, but thanks to one brave soul?_

 _This white energy had saved it._

 _Meanwhile from within the chasm, Mio's form could be seen, looking like it could disappear at any moment... which it apparently did as it vanished in a weak flash._

 _Following this, a huge crystalline mass of energy flew up, and then... it shattered apart. From the shattered fragments came a myriad of colorful lights, which quickly shot themselves throughout the world and took spherical shapes before disappearing._

 _Whatever they were, not a single person had managed to see them during their brief presence._

 _Finally, the white light vanished, leaving the silhouette of the damaged Earth being born anew._

* * *

 ** _~ April 30th, 2057: Tenguu City_**

The scene opened to the day after the one boy's visit to the infamous "Tenguu Viewpoint" as its citizens called it, in the quiet and peaceful neighborhood of Nankou, known as such for having a small number of residences while being near vital places like the supermarket and hospital.

Within a particular house within this peaceful neighborhood, one that fit a small mansion that had the usual for a small family, the said boy was shown to be asleep...

"Wake up!" A female voice sang.

Said boy groaned as the door slammed open, showing a girl his age had entered the room.

She had a voluptuous figure akin to a Goddess and huge breasts over 100 cm in size, eyes like bright rubies, and long crimson hair tied into twin tails by black ribbons with red tips, decorated with gold symbols in the shape of flowers with doubled-edged petals.

However, the one thing about her appearance that would have been odd in the past? Her pupils weren't black, instead being pure white, actually glowing in the dark bedroom.

"Kotori, please stop..." He begged, turning over as he pulled his pillow over his head.

"Then don't complain Shido, since you asked for it!" Kotori replied, smiling like a cat.

Feeling her legs on the bed, Shido suddenly became nervous as it creaked slightly... which signaled her jump into the air. He panicked as she made her descent.

"Kotori, don't! You're gonna kill me!" Shido screamed.

Her face looked dark as she prepared to land on him... only to shift her legs and make them land on the sides of Shido's stomach. Shido panted a bit as he saw this, quickly slumping onto his body in both relief and slight shock.

"And that's how you keep an old trick working in High School. So, are you awake now?" Kotori smirked.

"Y-Yeah... I'm awake." Shido confirmed, his voice nearly wheezing.

Smiling at his response, Kotori bent into a hand stand before doing a backhand spring to land herself on the floor.

Shido's full body soon came into view, revealing he had short blue hair and gold eyes with the same white pupils as Kotori's, confirming it was a norm for their generation to possess.

"Now, do you mind letting me change by myself?" Shido asked.

Kotori sighed at that, shaking her head.

"I'm letting your mom know, so you better not sneak back into bed." Kotori warned, pointing at him.

That warning was enough for Shido to gulp slightly, changing out of his black pajamas.

"There's something else that still works despite we're now in High School..." Shido realized.

Kotori soon went downstairs by sliding on their railings, shouting excitedly before she dismounted.

After getting his new school uniform on, the yawning Shido finally came downstairs, where Kotori was already seen watching TV as his father sat at the table with a newspaper, and his mother was cooking food in the kitchen.

"Morning everyone." Shido greeted.

Shido's mother was shown to have long hair that was the same color as her son's, which she had tied up in a ponytail that left some bangs left out.

She had hazel-colored eyes that had normal black pupils, signifying she was born before the era of Spacequakes, and a mole under her left eye. For her current attire, she wore a pink apron over a mint green jacket, which was over a white blouse, and a blue skirt.

"Good morning, sweetie." Mana greeted.

She immediately flipped a few eggs off her frying pan, immediately holding out some plates and twirling around, causing them to land on them without any spilling. Kotori immediately clapped.

"10 out of 10!" Kotori praised.

"I aim to please." Mana smiled.

Shido smiled a bit, quickly turning to his father, who looked like himself as a grown man, only with his mother's eyes and smoother, _slightly_ shorter hair.

He was currently wearing a black buttoned shirt with a high collar and gray jeans, currently working on his Laptop that showed the blueprints for the development of some kind of upcoming invention.

"I heard the noise upstairs, be lucky you survived Kotori's apparent assassination attempt?" Shinji chuckled.

"Dad!" Shido shouted in embarrassment.

Kotori began laughing at Shido, pointing her finger for added emphasis.

Shinji began to do the same, only for Mana to immediately tug on his cheek after she put all her plates down.

"Dear, remember what we promised Shido last night?" Mana inquired, giving him a soft yet stern look.

Shinji quickly nodded, causing Mana to let go.

"Uh... you're not going to do that to me because I was also laughing, right?" Kotori asked, giving a nervous chuckle.

"Oh Kotori, I've told you this before. I only tug on my biological family. You're like a daughter to me because of my friendship with Haruko. Not to mention if I did tug your cheek, Haruko would scream at me." Mana reassured her.

Kotori sighed in relief, right as she noticed a news report suddenly pop up on TV.

"Hey guys, look what's on right now." Kotori mentioned.

Everyone turned to look at the broadcast that just came up, right as a reporter came onto TV.

"Earlier this morning, a Spacequake was recorded near the center of Tenguu City. The good news is, as usual, the shelters made sure we had no casualties, with the slight damage in the area healed through the DEM's Realizer technology. Even now, Isaac Westcott and his company are still doing their best to find out the source of the Spacequakes, no matter how long it takes." The News Reporter announced.

As images of the area's ground zero could be seen, the sight quickly changed to show a man with dark ash hair and blue eyes standing in front of a podium, answering questions without a recorded audio to show what he was saying.

He looked to be as old as Shido's parents, his eyes having a tired look, though in the fatigued sense due to him lacking dark circles under his eyes.

"Another one, huh? Sounds like this one was pretty close." Shido remarked.

"Yeah, it was." Kotori verified.

Kotori quickly took a bite of her eggs, listening to the rest of the broadcast.

 ** _"The Spacequakes... they've continued to plaguing the world in the 30 years since they first began, with the only solace being they aren't as destructive anymore. There is an unspoken rule to never ask those who lived through the nightmare what it was like, as by some unexplained miracle, not a single person who lived through it ended up with PTSD and/or depression."_**

 ** _"Many children have tried to ask some indirect questions about what happened back then, simple things like family that was lost. From what Shido's gathered? His parents lived together, no signs of family whatsoever, though there is someone that was like family they lost... and they didn't have to say a word to explain it."_**

Looking at a nearby dresser, Shido saw a picture frame with a faded photo in it. This picture was of a younger Shinji when he was 16, who looked just like he did now, and a younger Mana when she was only 14, with Kotori's parents on the sides.

Standing in the middle of the quarter was a girl Shinji's age, her eyes closed as she smiled. The only other thing he knew about her was the teddy bear she was seen hugging.

Shinji briefly glanced at Shido, giving a quiet sigh as he was reminded of a subject he could only talk about with his wife. Mana briefly paused as she saw this, rubbing his back to comfort him.

 ** _"Besides that? The only real differences about the Spacequakes from 5 years ago to the present day in comparison to those from 30 years ago is the originals were gigantic and erratic in their timing, while the ones that occur in the current era are weaker and proven to have no chance of destroying the world a second time. Despite that, people still ask a justified question... how did they come back?"_**

As she saw the end of the news broadcast, Kotori popped a lollipop into her mouth.

"They've been getting more frequent..." Shido mentioned.

"I know, it almost feels like Tenguu City's a magnet for them, although... it may be true when you remember what the city's built on." Kotori agreed.

The scene zoomed out to show all of Tenguu City, with a black arrow showing kanji that said: "Built on a Spacequake Crater" blinking next to it, before returning to the Takamiya House.

"Well, you two better start walking to school, otherwise both of you are going to be late." Mana reminded them.

Seeing the time, Shido and Kotori gasped.

Shido immediately picked up his plate and used his fork to push everything into his mouth, while Kotori used her hands to force her lollipop to spin, allowing her to lick it all in seconds. When they were finished, Shido put his plate in the sink while Kotori shot the stick into the trash can.

"Wow, nice shot." Shinji remarked.

"Thanks, and I'll see you two later!" Kotori replied, waving as she grabbed her backpack.

Shido quickly grabbed his.

"Have a good day mom! Have a good day dad!" Shido exclaimed.

Shido immediately followed Kotori as they ran towards their school, ready to start his Junior year and her Freshman Year.

* * *

After a long run, Shido and Kotori found themselves at Rindouji, taking a moment to catch their breath.

"Alright, just so you know in advance? I'll be heading over to Danny's after school. If you need me for any reason before heading home, just meet me there." Kotori mentioned.

"Got it, and good luck on your first day." Shido replied.

Both of them gave each other a high five, with Kotori quickly rushing inside to experience her first day of high school. Watching from a distance, a trio of female students who were also enrolled in Rindouji looked at the scene.

The first one was a tall blonde with matching eyes, having her hair tied in a ponytail, but a much shorter one that the one Mana had.

The second had reddish-brown hair with marching eyes, which was styled in a slightly rounded bowl cut.

The last of the trio was short and had black hair with a blue tint, which reached down to the middle of her back, and wore round glasses with thing black frames. Like the other two, her eyes matched her hair.

Like all the children of the new era, their pupils were white, and like Kotori, had fairly buxom figures. However, their sizes were around the 90 to 100 range, better known as the D-Cup range. While such a size would be considered big over 30 years ago, they were considered small/average by the new era's standards, whereas Kotori's size was what people knew as the new large, in what had been considered rare in the old era.

"That girl with Shido was Kotori Itsuka, wasn't it?" The blonde asked.

"You mean the girl whose parent engineers working under that one subset of DEM Industries, Asgard Electronics? Yeah, that's definitely her." The brunette confirmed.

"Guess our school's betting pool guessed right on her attending Rindouji with him." The one with glasses remarked.

Shido briefly turned and noticed the trio, but didn't hear what they were talking about.

Right as Shido prepared to walk into the school, he suddenly felt someone grab his hand, making him jump.

"Hey there." A male voice greeted.

Looking behind him, Shido saw a boy with spiky black hair and a facial expression like that of a Casanova. This was someone Shido knew well, causing a trickle of sweat to go down his face as he looked at him.

"Hey there Hiroto, nice to see you..." Shido greeted, albeit in a forced manner.

"You ready for the first trimester of our Junior Year? It looks like you are." Hiroto questioned, still holding his _charmer_ smile.

"Oh boy... guess he actually managed to transfer here?" Ai sighed.

"Worse... he's also in our class this year. Not only does that mean he'll be annoying us often, but it's totally lame." Mii confirmed, sighting slightly.

"Great." Mai groaned sarcastically.

Right as that was going on, someone was hiding behind a light post near the school, their expression held in a silent gasp as she looked towards Shido's form with a slight blush.

'I don't believe it, it's him... he's really here!' She gasped.

* * *

Once everyone was at school, all of the Freshman, Junior, and Senior students were gathered in the gym to attend the school assembly to start of the new year. After a moment of waiting, a student walked into view before standing on the assembly podium.

She had maroon-colored hair, tied into three different short braids, two on the sides resting over each of her shoulders, and one resting behind her on her back. Her eyes were a purple-pink color, and she had clear skin that looked as smooth as a baby's bottom. On her uniform was a red band, showing her position in the school, with most of the Freshman students showing surprise.

"Everyone, I welcome you all to Rindouji High! My name is Sawa Yamauchi, though if it's hard to remember, you're free to just call me Saya." The female student greeted.

"Now, as you may have noticed by the band on my arm? I'm the newest Council President of Rindouji High, despite the fact I'm only a Freshman. This was a choice made by the previous class that graduated, who occasionally vote the next President from the Third-Years of Keisei Junior High, as I was for this year." Saya explained.

Most of the Freshman showed faces of understanding, as it explained how someone who just began attending Rindouji could already be in such a position.

"I'm fairly sure for those of you who are Freshman that just joined this school, you're likely feeling anxiety and nervousness about your new surroundings. Let yourselves know now that I am in the same shoes despite my position. Also, you must remember that all of the Juniors were in our position last year, while the Seniors who'll be graduating this year are also here to guide you. As such..." Saya announced.

Saya soon cleared her throat, making everyone listen closely as she paused for dramatic effect.

"Everyone, let's make this School Year a proud one!" She finished, raising a hand up in promise.

All the students clapped in applause, cheering slightly.

"Thank you everyone! And with that, I conclude my speech, so start heading to your assigned classes." Saya smiled, clapping her hands together.

With that, everyone headed to assigned classrooms, with Shido finding himself in Class 2-A.

He took a quick look around to see who was new among his classmates, noticing the Gossip Trio among his classmates from Freshman Year... with Hiroto being among his new classmates.

"Nice coincidence, isn't it Shido? We ended up in the same class, like in Junior High." Hiroto remarked.

"Are you gonna make some kind of comment about this being fate?" Shido questioned in expectation.

"Yes, I would be one of those people." Hiroto confirmed.

Hearing him say that, Shido hung his head down as he put his left hand over his eyes and shook his head, with the Gossip Trio staring at Hiroto with odd looks.

A small chime went off, making Hiroto take out his phone.

"Oh, excuse me for a moment, it's my girl." Hiroto apologized, opening an app that showed a pink-haired girl.

"So, who's route in which game this time?" Shido wondered.

"It's not a game this time. This particular app actually has the girl actually live on your phone. She'll give teach me everything I need to know for when I get a real girl." Hiroto stated.

"Um... excuse me?"

Both of them turned as the girl who hid behind the light post revealed herself.

She had long hair, which was as white as the driven snow, reaching down to her waist, and her eyes were a beautiful shade of Aquamarine. Just like Kotori, she also had a voluptuous figure akin to a goddess and huge breasts over 100 cm in size.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but... by any chance, would your name be Shido Takamiya?" She asked with a hopeful voice.

"Uh... yeah, but how do you know my name?" Shido confirmed.

Her eyes briefly widened as they suddenly began to tear up, confusing some of the students as she began crying a bit, with Shido starting to feel scared.

"It's really you, I knew it." She sniffled smiling at him.

Shido blinked a few times, but he was completely confused by what this girl meant.

"I'm sorry, but... do I know you?" Shido questioned.

Hearing this, the girl suddenly froze, as if she got shot through the heart by those words.

"You... don't remember me? Not even a bit?" She whimpered, looking like she'd cry out of sadness this time.

"No, I don't think I've ever met you before." Shido said, not recalling her image anywhere.

Lowering her head, she finally did cry for sad reasons, and then looked at him.

"I... I guess I was getting my hopes up too much, thinking you'd remember me just because of what you did in the Tenguu Fire." She said quietly, about to turn.

Shido's eyes suddenly widened, and he grabbed the girl's wrist, getting her attention.

 ** _"The Tenguu Fire, an event that occurred five years ago, only shortly before the return of the Spacequakes... some even saying it was a herald of their return. For unknown reasons, the whole neighborhood of Nankou suddenly went ablaze with magical flames."_**

"Did you just say... we met during the Tenguu Fire?" Shido questioned.

"Uh... yeah, I did. Why do you ask?" She inquired.

Sighing a bit, now it made sense to Shido how she knew him despite he didn't seem to know her.

"Then it's no wonder I don't remember you. During the events of that fire, I got hit on the head by a metal beam and I lost my memories of that day, along with everything about the week before it. The doctor's said I was lucky to have even survived, much less with only slight amnesia." Shido explained.

Hearing this, the girl's tears slowed, smiling in relief.

"So, is it alright if I ask you to re-introduce yourself?" Shido requested.

"Not at all. My name is Origami Tobiichi, and... you saved my life twice over." Origami properly introduced herself.

Most of the class began to murmur, having heard about her.

"Wait, as in the transfer student that aced the entrance exams!?" Shido exclaimed in shock.

"Y-Yeah, that's me..." Origami said, blushing slightly.

"And... I saved you twice over?" Shido asked, a confused look on his face.

Origami nodded a bit, looking at him.

"Yes, you see... right before the Tenguu Fire happened, my parents... ended up in a car accident." Origami revealed.

Most of the class gasped at that, while Shido himself was caught completely off-guard.

"The shock of it had hurt me so bad, I wandered outside and didn't even notice the flames... or maybe I did, but just didn't care what happened to me by that point. However, right as debris was about to hit me, you pushed me out of the way. You asked me why I put myself in such danger, and when you heard my answer, you told me you'd take all my sadness, my pain, and my tears... those words gave me the strength to keep living." Origami explained.

"I see, and... I'm sorry about your parents." Shido replied, sharing his condolences.

Origami blushed, waving her hands a bit.

"Oh, n-no! My parents are still alive! The crash was serious, but they survived it! If you hadn't saved me that day... I might have died and never realized my parents were waiting on the other side. That's why... I can never thank you enough for-" Origami clarified.

*"SLAM!"*

Everyone suddenly winced as Origami tried to bow... only to slam her head on Shido's desk. She quickly rose up, holding her forehead as she winced in pain, making Shido stand up.

"Ow..." Origami whimpered.

"Oh god! Let me check that, just to be sure you don't have a concussion." Shido offered.

Checking her forehead with his hands, he sighed in relief, taking out a bandage to place on it.

"Nothing to worry over, it's just a light bruise." Shido smiled.

Origami nodded her head, moving her hands to let her hair cover the bandage that had formed. Right at that moment, the morning bell rung, causing everyone to go to their seats as their teacher walked in. Upon seeing her, most of the class looked excited.

"Oh, heck yeah! It's Tamae!" Hiroto exclaimed.

Most of the class cheered in response to his words.

Tamae as Hiroto had called her was a woman in her late 20's, with short and curly brown hair. Her attire consisted of oval-shaped glasses with black frames, a pink dress, and a golden wedding ring.

"Welcome back everyone. Like last year and as I will be next year, I'll be your homeroom teacher!" Tamae smiled.

She briefly covered her head as everyone threw their stuff in the air, especially those who heard the rumors she'd be their teacher again.

"Yeah, I expected that reaction." She chuckled.

Clearing her throat, everyone immediately calmed down and gathered their thrown materials before sitting back down.

"As you all know, we don't have any classes since everyone needs to set our roles and the new Student Council needs to settle. Due to that, we'll be deciding who our Class Representative and Class Deputy will be. So, do we have any volunteers for these positions?" Tamae explained, looking around.

Most realized the job wouldn't be easy and didn't show any signs of interest, including the two who had done the jobs last year. There wasn't anyone willing take the positions until Tamae noticed Origami and Shido raise their hands.

"Ah, glad to see you involving yourself this year Shido. I'm always excited you're making a good first impression Origami." Tamae smiled.

Origami blushed at that.

"So, do either of you want a particular position, or would you like me to choose your positions for you?" She inquired.

"Um... I don't mind taking the role of Class Rep, I did it at my previous school." Origami offered.

"I'll take the job of Class Deputy." Shido stated.

"Alright then, your roles are set." Tamae smiled, writing their names besides each position on her clipboard.

With that settled, Shido briefly took a look outside the window.

'So, this is how my year begins.' Shido thought, looking at Origami one last time before shifting his focus back to the front board.

* * *

Hours passed until class ended for the day, with the Gossip Trio standing by Origami.

"Hey Origami? Out of curiosity, are you attending Rindouji due to a scholarship from DEM, or the jobs one/both of your parents do?" Ai inquired.

"Any particular reason you wanna know?" Origami asked.

"Just a fun little question everyone here asks. People attending Rindouji either got the chance through DEM's kindness or paying their way in, and since usually the latter is because of jobs that give families the wealth needed to attend, we ask about the jobs more than the money itself." Mai explained.

Origami nodded in understanding at their answer.

"My parents run a business that helps give relief and support to those who barely survived Spacequakes because they didn't reach a shelter in time. We recently gained ownership of Tenguu Hospital." Origami explained.

"Wow, I bet your parents are awesome." Ai praised.

"Thanks, though what about you and some of the others in our class? What do all of your folks do?" Origami asked.

"For the three of us? All of our parents work for the News Network, hence our title as the _Gossip Trio_ as you've likely heard by now." Mii explained, pointing at the trio.

Origami briefly giggled at that.

"Shido's father is a Developer that works for DEM, while Tonomachi over there... his dad just makes visual novels that didn't net him enough dough during our Freshman Year." Ai continued, pointing at the others.

Origami looked at Hiroto, noticing the Casanova vibe he seemed to give off.

'That... actually explains so much.' Origami thought.

As Shido could be seen packing everything into his backpack, Hiroto walked over to him, getting Shido's attention.

"Hey, Shido? You free right now?" Hiroto asked.

"Sorry, I'm meeting up with Kotori at her favorite diner. I'm betting she wants me to follow her there as a way to celebrate her first day of High School." Shido replied.

Hiroto chuckled at that, making Shido sweat a bit.

"You know, I'm honestly surprised what kind of relationship the two of you have." Hiroto remarked.

Shido face palmed, shaking his head a bit.

"Who's Kotori? Your little sister?" Origami asked.

"No, just my childhood friend. Though I guess her parents are away from home enough that she's basically my younger sister." Shido explained, chuckling slightly.

"Wish I had a brother or sister." Origami sighed longingly.

At that moment, a blaring noise went off, signaling a familiar alarm to the entire school.

 **"WARNING! YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE, THIS IS NOT A DRILL! THERE HAVE BEEN PRECURSORY SIGNS OF AN IMPENDING SPACEQUAKE IN THE CITY! PLEASE EVACUATE TO YOUR NEAREST SHELTER! I REPEAT!"**

Hearing that made every worried, with even Shido sweating slightly at the announcement.

"We just had one this morning, how is there another Spacequake already?" Hiroto questioned, knowing how rare it was for multiple Spacequakes to hit the same area in one day.

"Come on, we need to evacuate!" Shido advised.

Right as everyone got up to do just that, Origami suddenly collapsed on the ground, getting the attention of both boys as her body curled up and began to sweat heavily.

"Hey, Origami? Are you alright!?" Shido asked, shaking her.

Origami's replied with something... incomprehensible, possibly just gibberish from whatever had made her collapse.

"Is she alright?" Hiroto asked.

"I'm no doctor, so I'm not sure. The best guess I have is it may relate to the panic she got from the announcement in conjunction with how she accidentally slammed her head at the start of class." Shido guessed.

Sweating a bit as he tried to think of what to do, Shido immediately released a heavy sigh.

"Hiroto, go take her to the shelter while I head to the Nurse's office. I'll see if there's anything there that could help her until the quake passes." He requested.

"Alright." Hiroto agreed, nodding his head.

Shido placed Origami onto Hiroto's back, allowing him to piggyback her towards the shelter as Shido rushed towards the nurse's office.

* * *

Inside a large building within the center of Tenguu City, the site of a dark room could be seen as many people were seen sitting by screens, all that showed data that was measuring the many variables of the Spacequake that the public had no knowledge of.

As everyone continued working, the sight of a door opening could be seen as a man walked into the room, getting everyone's attention. That man was shown to be none other than Isaac Westcott himself.

"Everyone, give me the current status of your readings." Westcott requested.

"Nothing definite just yet. Right now, the Maryoku readings are still too scrambled for us to determine anything beyond where the incoming Spacequake's location will be." A male worker explained.

"Understood, then give me any new information you find as you receive it." Westcott replied.

"Roger that." The worker confirmed.

As Westcott sat down in his own seat, he tapped two buttons on each arm rest to make two screens rise from the sides of his chair, causing the image of a man and woman his age appeared on each respective screen.

"Elliot, status on evacuation to the shelters?" Westcott asked.

"We're green on this area, there should be little to no casualties at the rate things are going." Elliot confirmed.

"Good, and Ellen? Will you and the AST be ready for deployment?" Westcott replied, looking at her.

"I've already gathered everyone, we're getting ready as we speak." Ellen confirmed.

Nodding his head, Westcott hung up their communication line before putting his focus back to the screen... right as he heard a few gasps.

"What's wrong?" Westcott asked, raising an eye.

"Isaac, there are unknown signs being registered on the radar." A different male worker revealed.

"Define the unknown." Westcott requested.

"To be specific... the level of threat is undefinable, with all attempts to analyze it being registered as unreadable." A female worker said.

"That means this Spacequake may belong to a new Spirit." Westcott realized.

Right as Westcott said this, everyone immediately jumped as the alarms blared once again, registering another warning while the first was still ongoing. Westcott looked confused before turning to one of his female workers.

"Shiizaki, what's happening!?" He asked.

"Not sure, but I'll try to get a reading." Shiizaki replied, typing even faster in response.

In moments, Shiizaki gasped as the readings for the second warning caught up to the first.

"Is this possible?" She questioned.

"Shiizaki, what are you getting?" Westcott asked, starting to sweat slightly.

"This second reading is also for a Spacequake, but this one's already caught up to the first... no, by now it's become even stronger! It'll happen before the first one!" Shiizaki revealed.

"Wait, look at this wavelength!" The first male worker exclaimed.

Bringing it up, the wavelength was shown to be rhythmic in nature, which was odd because Spacequake readings were always erratic.

The moment Westcott saw this, gasping as he realized what was happening.

"Computer, see if any of those readings match any of the Spirits we have on record and do it fast!" Westcott screamed, sweating a bit.

"Acknowledged."

Taking a moment to look through the DEM files, the screen soon showed a check mark as it finished.

"Match has been found! Spacequake readings indicate no destruction, while the matching Spirit has been confirmed as..."

An image appeared on the screen, revealing a familiar image that made everyone's faces widen in shock and disbelief.

"It can't be... that's impossible!" Westcott breathed.

Immediately contacting Ellen again, she looked surprised at Westcott's sudden contact.

"Ike, what's wrong?" Ellen asked.

"Ellen, let your team know to keep all weapons on standby before facing the Spirit, because there's two that you will encounter." Westcott ordered.

"I don't get it, why would we need to-" Ellen questioned.

"Because one of them... is Deus." Westcott answered.

Ellen's eyes immediately widened, immediately looking at the AST as he hung up.

Westcott on the other hand immediately took a deep breath.

"How is this possible? Is this some kind of miracle, or worse... one of _their_ plans?" He wondered, biting one of his finger nails in response.

* * *

With the evacuating students, Hiroto arrived as everyone was guided by Saya.

"Keep calm and stay in an orderly line. Don't push anyone, don't run ahead, and don't wait around." She advised, guiding everyone.

As Hiroto got close, Saya noticed Origami on his back.

"What happened to her? Is she alright?" Saya asked.

"I don't know. Right as Shido and I tried to leave our classroom, she just suddenly collapsed on the spot!" Hiroto explained.

Saya looked at Origami, soon hearing her try to say something.

"K-Keth..." Origami weakly said.

Saya listened closer, trying to make out what Origami was saying.

Meanwhile with Shido, he was currently in the nurse's office, trying and failing to find something that could help Origami until he suddenly heard his phone ring.

"Hello?" Shido answered.

"S-Shido... help... me..." Kotori weakly replied.

"Wait, Kotori? What's wrong?" He asked.

The phone soon hung up, making Shido panic as he immediately called her back.

 _"We're sorry, but the number you're trying to reach is currently unavailable."_

"Wait, is she still..." Shido realized.

Activating his phone's GPS, he immediately traced Kotori's location, and when he did...

Kotori was standing in front of Danny's.

"Kotori, I'm on my way!" Shido exclaimed.

Rushing out of the room, Issei quickly found himself outside as he hurried towards Kotori's location, where she was seen lying across the ground in a similar position to Origami's earlier collapse.

As he ran outside, Shido noticed the city had been completely deserted from the evacuation, warning him of how little time he had to save Kotori.

"I've got to hurry!" He told himself.

Forcing all the adrenaline he had into his legs, Shido rushed with all his strength to make it to Danny's before the Spacequake went off. As he couldn't see any rippling in the sky, he had no way to know where it would be.

"Please, don't let me be too late to save ger!" Shido begged.

As he kept running, a certain memory flooded into his head.

* * *

 _A young Shido was seen with his parents, standing before a woman with short red hair and a man with scruffy black hair wearing dark green glasses. Clinging to the red-haired woman's left leg was a young Kotori, who seemed a bit timid and fearful._

 _"Tatsuo, Haruko! It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Shinji greeted._

 _"Glad to see you too Shinji, Mana." Tatsuo replied._

 _Putting a hand to her mouth, Mana giggled a bit before she looked towards Haruko._

 _"Does he still fall for all those fake deals?" Mana asked._

 _Tatsuo blushed at that, with Haruko giving a playful laugh in reply, furthering her husband's embarrassment._

 _"He's as gullible and naive as he was in high school." Haruko confirmed._

 _"Honey..." Tatsuo blushed._

 _Looking at her daughter, Kotori gave a nervous shake._

 _"Kotori, these are good friends of ours, and that's their son. Why don't you say hi?" Haruko explained, petting her head._

 _She nudged her ahead, while Mana did the same to Shido._

 _"Hi, my name's Shido." Shido greeted._

 _"M-My name is... Kotori Itsuka. It's nice to meet you." Kotori replied._

 _And with that, their friendship was formed._

* * *

Shido began moving faster, almost near Danny's.

"Kotori."

"Kotori!"

 **"Kotori!"**

Right at the moment he turned, his eyes suddenly widened as he saw seen a ripple as it hit the ground.

'Kotori... I'm sorry.' Shido apologized, realizing he was about to die.

Right at that moment, the Spacequake began... only for his eyes to widen as what came out wasn't the expected black dome of energy he had come to know.

This dome of energy... was pure white color, just like the light that ended the chaos during the Day of the Black Earth.

"What... what is this?" Shido questioned.

The unique Spacequake soon hit him... only it didn't harm him or the area it encompassed. The sight made him pause in shock, watching as it continued to spread before finally vanishing without a trace.

"A white Spacequake that doesn't harm the world? Just what's going on here?" Shido questioned.

"Mu..."

Hearing that voice, Shido motioned his head to where the ripple hit the ground, only for his eyes widen in complete disbelief.

"No way, this is...?" Shido gasped.

 **[** **Date A Live: Seirei** **]**

Right within the very spot the Spacequake went off, he saw a lone figure laying across the ground, completely unconscious.

She was only covered by a faintly translucent white cloth that seemed to be made of light, having hair that was a shining silvery-platinum color, and from what Shido saw of her appearance? Her beauty beyond even that of a Goddess, having a perfect hourglass figure with the biggest breasts he'd ever seen in his entire life.

'It's... a girl, but... where did she come from?' Shido wondered, looking at her.

However, once he got close enough to properly make her out, Shido's eyes widened as he got a good look at her face. Despite never meeting this girl before, he _did_ recognize her...

Because, she was the girl from the faded photo!

"That's impossible... there's no way she could be..." He stated, feeling his eyes shaking.

However, that thought ended as Shido realized he had no idea if she was alive or not. Fighting the blush on his face, he rushed over and then lowered his head, slightly touching Mio's humongous breasts as he tried hearing if she had a heartbeat.

Giving a slight blush at his touch, Mio's eyes slowly began to open, making Shido see her beautiful blue orbs. To his shock, she had the same whitened pupils that the kids of his generation did.

"Hmm?" Mio mumbled.

Trying to focus her vision, Shido's blurry form began clearing up... making Mio gasp.

"Shin... is that you?" She asked quietly.

And with that, Mio blacked out once again.

* * *

In some strange realm, a girl with long violet hair could be seen sleeping on what looked be an ocean of endless violet energy that was mostly black where it was less focused, with bits of yellow forming between golden lines stretched across the landscape.

She only wore a white-colored nightgown, which was revealed to be made of light, just like Mio's.

As she slept there... her eyes began shaking before they opened.

"Am I... awake?" She asked.

While she stayed in that position, her eyes suddenly intensified out of nowhere, making their unique coloration of violet and yellow shift in response to the intensity of her swelling emotions and gritted teeth.

The energy of the realm went wild as she stood up, suddenly forming something around her body.

"I suddenly feel... angry!" She screamed.

Something began to form in her hand, causing the realm she was in to ripple before she mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

* * *

 **And with that, Spiritual Successor's first chapter has come to a close. With this chapter alone, you can already tell there's a lot going on, most of which game from scrapped ideas I had for other DAL stories that were never able to happen on their own. Some of the big, yet minor ones are Mana is now Shido's mother (based on what V17 revealed), Kotori is simply Shido's childhood friends, while the Hermetic Trio are good guys.**

 **There's one other thing I used from my previous DAL story in having Humanity's numbers take a hit, but I've made it more important to the story this time, hence the "Day of the Black Earth" as everyone calls it... along with the yet to be revealed antagonists of this story. After all, you know something's up with the bad guys when they completely ignore Earth's destruction, yet seem to be completely Human.**

 **There are also a few ideas that are getting more focus this time, which I ended up neglected a bit. The prime example being the gifts of those who were benefited by what the Spacequakes left behind. By having everyone in the next generation be like this, not only is it different, but it makes the Spirits harder to recognize because their defining feature is no longer such, meaning they can hide in plain sight.**

 **Another big change is while still younger, I've not only made Kotori older from the start (her appearance resembles that of Stella Vermillion's from Chivalry of a Failed Knight) and only a year younger so she's a Freshman in High School, but Origami's parents and Sawa are alive from the start (her appearance resembles the girl with Miku in the one Encore V7 illustration), while Rindouji has taken the place of Raizen High as a Co-Ed School.**

 **Shido better get ready, because he's had his first meeting with Mio, and while Tohka's about to wake up from her nap? It doesn't look like it'll be on good terms with how angry she got out of nowhere. With this meeting between Shido and Mio, the events from 30 years ago are about to echo into the present, and this time... it's Shido's turn to protect the world.**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	2. To You, 30 Years from Now

**Welcome back everyone! I'm glad how positive reception to the first chapter was, since it was great motivation for me to know you enjoyed the start of the story and the idea behind it. The title itself was well accepted, which for those who've yet to figure it out, is both a reference to Shido's role and a pun. The term spiritual successor is often tied to video games, so the name was perfect due to the Spirits of DAL.**

 **So, now that we've started Ch 2? Here's some important yet non-spoiler info for the story I need to share. Mayuri and all of the game Spirits (except Rio, since she's linked to Rinne) are all tied to the Sephirot just like the canon ones are, but how they are I can't reveal just yet. While it isn't exactly a spoiler in itself, it is something that will be said in a later reveal, and may reduce its impact if I mentioned it now.**

 **The only details about them that I can mention are they won't be using their canon Angels, considering that Ain Soph resembles Eden based on V18, while Kerubiel is... well considering what it took to beat it in the movie? That apparently sentient Angel is way too OP to keep around. Likewise, this also means Maria and Marina have official Angels of their own, though Rio herself will lack one due to her eventual role.**

 **The two positions I can mention are Mio and Shido's, due to them not being the same as canon. For Mio, represents Ain Soph, due to how her Angels are often defined as "0 - Ain Soph Aur", "00 - Ain Soph", and "000 - Ain", with Ain Soph's two zeroes also working to represent Infinity, which links to how Ain Soph is related to God's power. For Shido, he represents the Abyss, a mysterious part of the Sephirot you can't directly see.**

 **Also, for anyone that's worried about Mio's strength making things to one-sided for most of the story? I've made sure to take care of that so she won't be. This is both initially for reasons you'll see in this chapter, and other reasons that will apply for most of the story, both in regards to Mio's use of her powers and how the villainous group receives any attacks tied to her Reiryoku and/or Angels.**

 **Now with all of that out of the way, let the chapter begin!**

* * *

 **[Chapter 2 - To You, 30 Years from Now]**

Mio's eyes slowly began to open, making Shido see her beautiful blue orbs. To his shock, she had the same whitened pupils that the kids of his generation did.

"Hey, are you alright?" Shido asked.

"Hmm?" Mio mumbled.

Trying to focus her vision, Shido's blurry form began clearing up... making Mio gasp.

"Shin... is that you?" She asked quietly.

And with that, Mio blacked out once again.

'My god, that was dad's nickname back when he was my age... this _is_ the same girl!' Shido realized.

With this knowledge in mind, Shido immediately decided he wouldn't leave her here and quickly picked Mio up before positioning her on his back... then blushing as he felt her giant oppai pressing against it, struggling to contain his male hormones.

'No Shido, keep in your teenage hormones in check! If your parents really do know this girl, then this girl looks younger than her age that's like in the early or late 40's!' He told himself.

He slightly sunk his teeth on his tongue, letting the mildly painful sensation he intentionally inflicted on himself succeed in distracting him from Mio's huge breasts.

"OK... now that I've got this done, let's get back to finding Kotori." Shido stated.

Shido quickly ran off, heading towards the location of Danny's as he failed to notice the signs of the second Spacequake ripple behind him. As he fled, the sight of Ellen and DEM's Elite wizards, better known as the Adeptus Security Team (or AST for short) was seen flying into view.

The group of wizards slowly began to hover into the area, trying to locate Mio's position as they looked around. As they did, Ellen could be fully seen, showing her to be a beautiful young woman with light Nordic blonde hair, purple-colored eyes with black pupils, pale skin, and a voluptuous body.

Ellen furrowed her brows slightly, noticing no signs of Mio, which quickly confused her.

"I don't see her anywhere in this area. There's no way she could have fled or teleported from here, especially with how we timed our arrival... so why isn't she here?" She thought aloud.

One of her fellow wizards flew by, having black hair styled in a ponytail with black eyes, having a similar appearance to Mana, but with a slightly more mature face.

"Captain Mathers, are we sure that the system didn't get a false alarm?" She asked.

"I'm sure of it Ryouko, because a white Spacequake is only possible if it's purely made of Reiryoku, and Mio is the only Spirit who's capable of causing that result." Ellen replied, confirming the legitimacy of the missing Spirit.

Ryouko rubbed her chin slightly, wondering how Mio could have disappeared so suddenly.

However, seeing the incoming ripple of the second Spacequake, Ryouko gasped as an idea hit her.

"Captain, recall how the white Spacequake was second to be detected? What if that's caused some kind of dimensional warping that's keeping her from our world until the original one goes off?" She suggested.

"In other words, you think Mio may have not appeared in her Spacequake because the distortions of the first caught her and left her energy to release her Spacequake without her? Unusual... but maybe not impossible." Ellen thought aloud, contemplating the possibility.

"Let's see if we can verify this then." Ryouko decided.

Ellen nodded before taping one of the wrist bands of her armor, opening contact with Westcott.

"I have a feeling while you're calling. Couldn't find where Mio was?" He guessed.

"Yeah, and Ryouko thinks that-" Ellen answered.

"No need to worry about any theories you might have, our satellites are clearly giving us the marker tied to Deus. She's definitely here. As for why you can't find her? Well, I think you'll need to see it to believe it." Westcott explained.

Ellen and Ryouko looked confused by that, but the Wizard duo decided to trust in Westcott's words as Ellen formed an interactive screen from her Realizer.

Seeing the dot registering as [Deus] moving around, she tapped it to zoom in and reveal Shido carrying Mio on his back.

"Wait... isn't that Shinji's son I'm seeing right now? Why is he even outside during a Spacequake alert, much less carrying Mio on his back?" Ellen questioned, justifiably confused.

"It seems that Deus' arrival was detected much earlier than our systems picked it up by Salamandra and Angel, causing both to collapse right after the first alarm went off. I think you can tell why he came out here if you check the other readings." Westcott explained.

Pausing a bit, Ellen undid the zoom on Deus' location before noticing it nearing another dot that said [Salamandra] over it... which was frozen in front of Danny's.

"Of course, she never got to the shelters. He was out here because he was trying to save her." Ellen realized.

"If that's the case, then I think we can ignore Deus for now. His son will most likely bring her to his house." Ryouko stated.

"Right, let's focus on the Spirit that's about to arrive." Ellen agreed.

Ryouko nodded and tapped her wrist, making her CR-Unit begin reading the signals before immediately blinking as it let her detect the spatial distortions.

"I'm confirming a high Maryoku reading a few yards from our location, right in the epicenter of the first Spacequake. The estimated time of its arrival is 2 minutes!" She warned.

"Alright AST, relocate to a safe distance and ready your territories!" Ellen ordered.

All 10 Wizards flew away until they were registered at a safe distance by their Realizers, then immediately set up barriers made from translucent green hexagons. It was right then that two minutes passed.

Just as predicted, the Spacequake ripple spiked into the ground, causing the usual black-colored Spacequakes to go off.

Shido's eyes turned in response, sighing in relief as he confirmed it was also too far away from Danny's to harm Kotori.

"OK, going to hurry... like right now!" He reminded himself.

Pushing his leg muscles once again, Shido rushed towards the diner to save his childhood friend before anything worse could happen to either of them.

* * *

Within the Spacequake Shelter that was exclusive to Shinji and Mana, the two were respectively working on his Laptop and reading one of her cooking magazines to pass the time.

After a few more minutes, a light went off that got the duo's attention.

 **"Attention! The Spacequake has passed and the Spirit has been confirmed to be far enough away, you may all return to your homes until the Spirit is Lost or nears the area. I repeat!"**

Gathering everything in his bag, Shinji stood up.

"Guess that's our cue." He stated.

"I wonder how long we'll have to wait before everyone else can leave the shelters? The Spacequake did happen as Shido and Kotori were leaving school." Mana mentioned.

"Yeah... things like that always remind me of the secret we have to keep." Shinji replied, followed by a sigh.

Mana went silent at that.

"We really need to work on not depressing ourselves so easily..." She remarked.

Shinji nodded at that.

* * *

After running for a while, Shido stopped to catch his breath as he finally made it to the area where Danny's was located, partially due to the weight Mio added to his back... which was ironically much lighter than Kotori's.

'How is that possible? This girl seems to be about... 50 kg heavy?' He thought, unaware that was exactly right.

Shido eventually reclaimed enough air to remove the weight he felt on his lungs, using the moment to skim through the area for his childhood friend. After a minute or two, he finally gazed his eyes on what he was looking for.

Laying unconscious across the ground with her phone in hand, which had stayed on since she passed out, was the sight of Kotori with a flush face... and emitting steam?

"Huh?" Shido blinked, wondering what the steam was about.

"G-Gevu..." Kotori panted, still unconscious.

Raising an eye, Shido walked over to touch her... only to yelp in pain as a burning sensation struck his hand.

"What the hell!?" He loudly winced, blowing on his hand.

Shaking the brief pain out, Shido looked at Kotori, now completely unsure of how to help her with what was going on. He didn't even notice that Kotori was in a very similar position to what Origami's had looked like when she collapsed.

It was as if both had the same experience, with Kotori barely having enough time to call him before she ended up collapsing.

"Think Shido, how are you going to carry her home?" Shido asked himself.

After saying that, the sound of crickets chirping followed as he realized something important about carrying Kotori back home.

How was he going to carry two people?

"I really didn't think that through, did I?" Shido admitted, scratching his cheek.

Deciding to look around for an answer, he found an empty cart near Danny's, most likely having been meant to carry a food delivery from a track, but was left behind by whoever had been using it when the alarm went off.

"Ah, that works." He smiled.

Wincing painfully as he dragged Kotori into the cart, then waving his hand to help cool them off afterwards, Shido began pushing it towards home.

"Oh yeah... Kotori, you're definitely heavier!" He grunted, struggling to move it.

As he worked to get everyone back to his house, Shido failed to notice Mio instinctively hugging him closer and Kotori's hand twitch as it briefly emitted a weak flame.

* * *

Back inside Rindouji High's Spacequake shelter, Tamae was looking over Origami as she released slow, heavy breaths from her mouth. Placing a wet cloth over her head, she noticed Origami didn't look any better than before.

"I can't even tell how bad she really feels, it just looks like she's fatigued or something close to narcoleptic." Hiroto remarked.

"Well, while doesn't seem serious, it does seem like she's suffering." Tamae replied.

Whimpering a bit, Origami's head turned to the side before something strange happened. Everyone gasped as they saw her emit a weak aura of light from her body, but not like the kind that the people of her era normally used.

"Has anyone ever seen a Seirei Ability like this?" Ai questioned, finally naming the term used by such people.

"I don't think anyone from the Seirei Era has shown something like this." Mai mentioned, similarly confused.

"Yeah, it seems more like... photons maybe?" Mii guessed.

As this was going on, Hiroto looked towards Saya... only to notice her face had been frozen with shock.

"Saya, is something wrong?" Hiroto asked.

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, what were you asking me?" Saya replied, regaining her focus.

"Are you OK?" Hiroto asked.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Just feeling a little distracted by Origami's aura." She answered.

Hiroto shrugged as he accepted the answer, going back to his phone's Dating Sim.

* * *

After pushing the kart for he knew how long, Shido finally made it back to his house, giving a tired and awkward smile at the small achievement.

"Yes... I made it!" He panted, struggling to breathe.

Luckily, by this point of pushing Kotori, it seems her steaming had vanished, showing that her burning temperature was now only hot enough to make Shido feel a bit uncomfortable in the already warm Spring temperatures.

Picking her up, Shido winced (this time due to the weight) as he walked himself to the large L-shaped couch in the area linking the living room and kitchen. He put Kotori down on one side and then Mio on the other.

"OK, no longer holding anyone... let's check on why she's so unbearably warm." Shido panted, looking at Kotori.

He got a blanket and put it over Kotori, helping her tuck in, then got a towelette he ran under the sink water. Placing it on her head, Kotori's face smiled lightly as she felt some relief.

Grabbing a thermometer and holding it over her forehead, he checked her temperature and saw it was...

"Weird, she feels hot yet she's at usual normal 37°C on the thermometer." Shido noticed, scratching his head.

"G-Gevu..." Kotori breathed.

He was confused, though at that moment, he noticed his phone ringing with Ai's number. Taking it out, Shido answered it.

"Shido speaking, what's up Ai?" He answered.

"Thank goodness, did you get to Kotori before the Spacequake went off?" Ai replied.

"Well, no... but the Spacequake didn't go off near Danny's, so I still got to Kotori." He admitted.

"Glad to hear that, so where are you right now?" Ai questioned.

"My house, since there wasn't any way for me to get back into the shelters. How's everyone doing in there?" Shido answered.

"Origami's collapsing took a weird turn, she glowed like a light bulb for a while." Ai revealed.

Shido briefly paused at that, which Ai noticed.

"Is... there something wrong?" She questioned.

"Oh, sorry. That just sounds a lot like what happened when I found Kotori. Well, in her case she was burning like a tea pot, but it seems like that's why she was unconscious. The weirdest thing is I checked her temperature and it showed the usual 37°C on the thermometer." Shido explained.

"Really? That's weird not just weird, it sounds like... sorry, I've gotta go!" Ai replied.

"Wait... Ai, don't tell me you're-" He realized.

The sound of the phone beeping followed as she hung up, leaving Shido to just stand there before he closed his phone.

"Really should have seen that coming..." Shido admitted.

He sat himself on the couch by Mio, trying to think to himself about what Ai had just told him.

'Ai does have a point... why did Origami and Kotori collapse in such a similar manner? I'd say it was the Tenguu Fire, but I was fine, so that can't be the reason.' Shido thought, trying to come to figure out an answer.

He had little time to think before Mio suddenly whimpered, making him look at her as she saw her eyes try to open up... which quickly made him blush as her outfit faded.

'Oh no, I can't see her naked! Think Shido!" He panicked.

Looking around for an answer, he recalled he was still wearing his school uniform and immediately took it off, using the fact boys often had their shirts off when swimming to his advantage.

When it came off, Shido showed he was fairly lean and fit, having a noticeable six-pack on him.

Immediately throwing his arms out, he got his School uniform onto Mio, not even bothering to button it up (especially since her gifted chest making it too small for her) due to it covering all the important parts.

As her outfit of light finally disappeared, she turned to face him, with her eyes starting to flutter open.

"Hey, are you OK?" Shido asked.

Mio squinted a bit as she looked at him, her hazy vision staying for a moment until it began to clear. Once it did? She froze in place, making her eyes tear up as she covered her mouth.

"Shin..." She cried, giving a happy sniffle.

"Hmm?" Shido inquired, blinking slightly.

Mio immediately jumped on him, making Shido scream as he fell onto the floor with a slight thud. While he was about to say something, he quickly felt Mio hugging him.

"Shin! I can't believe it, I'm still here... I kept my promise!" Mio cried.

"Uh... really hate to do this, but-" Shido replied.

At that moment, Mio finally registered the sound of his voice, opening her eyes as she saw where she was.

While it was similar, it wasn't the same home she recognized.

To be specific, it looked to be a more modern version of the home she once knew, with a majority of the things inside of it not existing over 30 years ago.

"Huh? Wait, this isn't home... why are we in here?" Mio questioned.

She lowered her head, about to ask why Shido's voice was different... which is when she finally noticed his eyes.

"Those eyes are... but Shin doesn't have..." Mio realized, shaking slightly.

"Yeah, I think you've mistaken me for someone else." Shido confirmed.

"But... why do you look so much like Shin?" She questioned, holding her head as she began whimpering.

Shido panicked before hugging her close.

"Just take a deep breath, I'll try to help you figure things out. Just... just slowly breathe in and out." He promised, trying to comfort her.

Mio's whimpering continued before she managed to breathe.

"OK, I've got a good feeling on how to answer this with one question. Is this Shin you're referring to a nickname?" Shido asked, rubbing her back.

"Eh... kind of? I can't say his full name, and I don't know why." Mio confessed.

"Weird, but I won't question it... do you at least know if its short for Shinji?" Shido remarked, quickly continuing his inquiry.

"It is." Mio nodded.

Shido briefly glanced behind him, knowing only one more question would give him 100% confirmation.

"OK, last question... is his last name Takamiya?" He asked.

Mio's eyes widened at that, which was all the answer he needed.

"All my suspicions have been confirmed." Shido remarked.

"H-How could you... know all of that?" Mio asked, shaking a bit as she took a few steps back.

"Because... Shinji Takamiya is my father." Shido revealed.

Mio froze at that, causing him to wait about three minutes for something to happen. It's only when nothing did that Shido coughed to make her flinch back into reality.

"That can't be... Shin and Mana were..." She stuttered, her mind still in denial.

"You might want to see these if your mind still can't accept it." Shido suggested.

Mio didn't hear it as she closed her eyes, starting to near a hyperventilation as it felt like she was suffering from a nightmare she begged her mind to release herself from... until she felt Shido placed in each of her hands.

"Huh?" She blinked her eyes open, looking at what she was now holding.

On the left, she saw the picture of herself, Shinji, and Mana where the latter were both teenagers. However, on the right?

It was a family picture from 10 years ago, making her eyes widen as she recognized the adult Shinji.

"That... that really is him, that's... Shin." Mio confirmed.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, Mio looked towards Shido, breathing slowly to try staying calm.

"How... how old is this picture, and the one I recognize?" She asked.

"10 years and 30 years respectively." He answered.

Mio immediately went silent, feeling her body wobble before Shido caught her, helping her sit on the couch.

"Do you... want anything?" Shido asked.

"Vanilla Milk would be lovely." Mio whimpered.

He briefly looked at her huge chest upon hearing that, then coughed into his arm before walking into the kitchen, getting a full cup. Walking back to her, Shido heard the door open up.

"Excuse me for a moment, and here's your milk." Shido stated.

Giving Mio her drink, Shido walked to the door as the stress made her down it all in only three seconds.

Shido soon found his mother at the door, taking off her shoes as she switched into her house slippers.

"Mom?" Shido said, surprised she was home already.

Mana immediately raised her head, seeing Shido was in the house instead of a Spacequake shelter... and completely shirtless.

"Shido? Why are home when we had a Spacequake alert?" She questioned.

"Ignore that for now, because I'll explain later." Shido promised.

"And why should I trust this?" Mana questioned, furrowing her brow and tapping her feet suspiciously.

"Because... I think there's something more important you need to see." He answered.

Confused by what her son meant, Shido sighed before immediately grabbing her hand, making Mana shout as he pulled her into the living room. Once she did, Mio immediately turned her head.

Upon laying eyes on her, Mana felt them shake before covering her mouth, feeling the tears start to flood in.

"I... I don't believe it..." Mana breathed, her voice trembling.

She took a few steps near her old friend, only for Mio to immediately rush at her seconds after.

"Mana!" Mio exclaimed, hugging her tightly.

"Mio!" Mana shouted back, returning the hug.

Looking at the sight, Shido felt himself sniffle a bit before turning around, crying in the other direction to be respectful to the reunited friends.

"You've become such a beautiful woman, and you don't day over 20!" Mio sniffled, praising her beauty.

"Thanks, but I can't take all the credit there when technological advancements have slowed down aging to a third. In a sense, I am 20." Mana chuckled, mostly at her own joke.

"Don't care, you're still a beauty now." Momo replied.

Mana shrugged and hugged Mio closer. Second after that, the door opened once more, signaling Shinji's entrance into the house.

"Honey, get over here right now!" Mana exclaimed.

"Why, did something happen!?" Shinji questioned.

"No, it's the very opposite! Just get into the living room already!" Mana answered.

While confused by his wife's words, he shrugged his shoulders, and quickly walked into the room with everyone... where he instantly dropped his briefcase in shock.

"M-Mio!?" He gasped.

"Shin!" Mio exclaimed.

Feeling more tears flood into her eyes, Shinji rushed over and pulled the three of them into a group hug. The last time Mio had seen the two, the Day of the Black Earth had made them certain they would never meet again, but as of this moment they were sharing?

She was here... she was alive... they were here... and they were alive. As he watched this, Shido wiped his eyes with his arm, sniffling at the fuzzy warmth spreading to him.

"Mio... you don't know how happy we are right now, we're glad you're alive!" Mana cried.

"Welcome home." Shinji sniffled.

She gave no reply besides nodding her head, unable to vocalize anything other than an even louder cry due to the tempest of emotions surging through her body.

Once the storm of her feelings settled down, Mana looked to her son, not even noticing Kotori was on the couch.

"With that out of the way, I can say that I won't punish you for being outside during the Spacequake... but I may still get angry depending on your reason for running out like you did." She stated, tapping her foot.

"Eh... I'm assuming you've ignored the other side of the couch?" Shido guessed, briefly glancing that way.

Turning around, the sight of Kotori lying unconscious on the couch finally reached her attention.

"Never mind, I'm not going to get angry either. Though I would like some context to help me understand what happened." Mana decided.

"Same here." Shinji mentioned.

*"GROWL!"*

Right at that moment, an embarrassed blush went over Mio's face as she pulled on the ends of Shido's school uniform, specifically covering her stomach with her hands.

"Let's do that over a quick meal, because I'm a little hungry. That... and Mio needs better clothes." Shido suggested.

Mio kept blushing for a different reason, looking to the side in a bashful manner due to how Shido just covered for her own sound of hunger.

* * *

Back in DEM Industries, the sight of Westcott and his analysts looking over the data tied to Mio could be seen.

"Keep looking everyone, we need to verify everything here to make sure that we're not falling for some kind of trap. If it really is Mio..." He ordered, more serious than usual.

"Right, we're bringing up the readings Mio showed from 30 years ago." A male worker answered.

Typing on his keyboard slightly, the data on her readings from the Day of the Black Earth appeared.

Looking at the readings, Westcott waited a bit, sweating a little as he tried not to be too hopeful, yet not too cynical about what the comparisons would show them.

"Hmm?" The same worker raised an eye.

"Kawagoe, what's wrong?" Westcott asked.

"Nothing's wrong per say, but it looks like we have a registered reading for some kind of particle... only its one that's said to be hypothetical." Kawagoe answered.

Westcott waited for him to say what it was.

"Sorry, I don't know which one it is. Mikimoto?" He replied, looking at him.

The man with glasses shook his head.

"Uh... Nakatsugawa?" Kawagoe asked.

"Not me." He answered.

Shiizaki sighed and started looking through it herself.

"Uh... Minowa?" Kawagoe whimpered, looking nervous.

"Eh..." She trailed off.

He could only groan and then slam his head onto the side of the keyboard, around the same time Shiizaki found the answer.

"Tachyon particles, the theoretical time-based energy that's believed to faster than light and allow time travel." She explained.

Westcott paused in response, holding up a finger as his head registered it.

"Wait, so you're saying, if the system is accurately detecting these as Tachyon particles... that Mio moved through time!?" He questioned, realizing what may have happened.

"I can't be certain since these particles have always been hypothetical before now, but it might explain why Mio's readings registered a sudden disappearing instead of fading." Shiizaki answered.

Hearing that, Westcott took a moment to think before he looked at everyone.

"Do we see any differences in her readings?" He asked.

"There's one difference, but this seems to be showing that her power is at the same level, but weak. Like she just overexerted herself." Nakatsugawa answered.

"Like as if she just... saved the world!" Westcott exclaimed.

With that, all the pieces that were needed to quell all doubts it was the real Mio had faded. It truly was the Spirit of Origin that he, Ellen, and Elliot had created 30 years ago.

Meaning that Shido had helped speed up a reunion that had been delayed for way too long.

* * *

Gathered at the table, everyone in the Takamiya House began eating a quick salad and cup of yogurt, with Mio now wearing a pair of Mana's panties with one of Shinji's shirts, which was luckily able to cover her body better than Shido's uniform did.

However, it was also this outfit that made her finally see a pattern she had noticed between their clothing and Kotori's.

"Uh... this might be a weird time to ask, but why are all the clothes I've seen short-sleeved or sleeveless for tops, and shorts or small skirts for bottoms? Not to mention the fact they're seemingly fully or partially made with light just like my Astral Dress?" Mio questioned.

"That's a whole different thing we'll need to give you a book to understand, but the climate's been too warm for pants or long sleeves since you saved the world." Mana answered.

"As for the latter... also requires a book, but the other reason that the public isn't aware of? It was out of respect for you." Shinji answered.

Mio blushed at that, smiling at the gesture.

Shido soon cleared his throat, getting his parents' attention as he began his explanation.

"OK, so what happened was as I went to the nurse to help a classmate who collapsed right after the alarm went off? Kotori called me on my phone. She had collapsed and it seemed like everyone had already fled, leaving no one to help her, which gave me no choice but to run out and save her. However, then the Spacequake happened... only it was white." He began.

His parents briefly paused, both sipping their mugs in response.

"That wasn't the only odd thing about it, as it left no damage, which I had to verify as it passed me. When I looked back at the source, that's when I saw her and recognized her from the one picture you had. By that point I was pretty certain it was her, so I decided to carry her back after getting Kotori, and then she confirmed everything afterwards... then you both came home." Shido finished.

Shinji immediately downed the rest of his drink, then exhaled a large breath afterwards.

"I'm... well, I don't know how to describe my reaction to that, but for you to run into Mio while simply running out into danger for Kotori's sake? I wouldn't believe it had I not seen Mio with my own eyes." Shinji remarked.

"That was very reckless of you, but I'll let it slide since we have always told you to never abandon the people you care about." Mana replied.

Hugging her son close, Shido blushed a bit.

"Just promise me that you'll never do something this crazy again... if you're by yourself." She begged him.

"O...K?" He awkwardly replied.

Mio blinked a bit, looking at the two before she turned to Shinji.

"Did you... clone yourself?" Mio asked.

"Everyone asks that, but Mana has the sonograms to prove she carried him. Same reasoning behind why Kotori looks like Haruko." Shinji answered, holding his hands up.

Mio looked at her, raising an eye before shaking her head in disagreement.

"Sweetie, that was only when Kotori was 5 to 8 years old." Mana reminded him.

"Oh..." Shinji recalled, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

"Putting that aside, why did you name him Shido? That's way too similar to your name." Mio questioned.

Hearing that, Shinji blushed slightly.

"Well, since we thought you died and we had all of that... you know, I thought I should name him after a child we could have had together. Due to that, I started his name the same way, then made sure it also had two syllables... but ended with an O." He admitted, smiling.

Shido's jaw dropped at the reveal of how he was named.

However, for Mio? She blushed briefly as this news caused her to feel touch, quickly evident by the smile that quickly formed on her face.

"OK, enough about our side. How did you survive?" Mana inquired.

Upon hearing that, Mio briefly paused upon hearing the question, getting Shinji and Mana's attention. However, it didn't take long for Shido to figure out the answer.

"You don't know, do you?" He realized.

"I don't. When I woke up, I didn't know 30 years had gone by. In fact? From what I can still clearly remember, I had been rushing towards the flood of Maryoku destroying the world from the inside out, but I couldn't stop it from the surface. The only thing I could do was... dive towards the Earth's core, then send you my teddy bear as my way of saying that I wouldn't be coming back." Mio confirmed, sharing her story.

That made Shido go silent, while Shinji and Mana went silent from the shock of what she revealed.

"After that, I was pretty sure I'd be dead..." She finished.

Shido walked by her side, rubbing her back to comfort her.

"I don't think any of us could truly understand that feeling, learning that what you felt had been a few minutes, maybe a couple of hours at best... was actually 30 years in reality." He said, feeling it was better to make it clear.

Shinji lowered his head, feeling his fists shaking.

"That's right Shido... could anyone truly understand the pain we had to bear? Just how many times we said that after Mio saved the world, but at the apparent price of her own life?" He remarked.

Mio looked at him, tearing up as he heard him sniffling, with Mana already wiping a few tears from her eyes.

"That fateful day we met and the days we spent together. Then, as the entire world began going to Hell, she realized the only way to save it was to go to the source of the chaos, followed by us seeing you succeeded... only for us to see all that was left of you was your most treasured item! Mana and myself? Haruko and Tatsuo? Westcott, Elliot, and Ellen? All of us cried over losing you, for every day in the next 30 years, which was more than 10,000!" Shinji screamed.

"Oh boy..." Shido breathed, covering his ears.

Mana and Mio quickly did the same, knowing he was only going to get even louder as he finished his sulking.

"Worst of all? Even though we knew you saved the world, no one else did... and we couldn't tell anyone! We had to remember your heroism alone! All we could leave behind as proof you lived was a mere picture, which didn't say a thing about your noble act! One that made even my own son believe you were just a friend, or member of my family that died in the Spacequakes, all because we could do nothing but watch!" He screamed.

Finally having nothing left to scream, Shinji covered his eyes as he cried, with Mio sniffling a bit as she watched her old friend's breakdown come to an end.

"For you, time never moved forward because you were displaced from it... but for all of us? It was because it was too much to endure, we couldn't stop living in the past, all because it seemed like you had been cursed to a short life, all because of how you were born and what created you..." Shinji sobbed.

Mio sniffled a bit more before she shed a few more tears, going into her own, much quiet sob.

"I'm... confused over 90% of what was just said." Shido confessed, gently rubbing his forehead.

Hearing her son's words, Mana sighed a bit.

"Should have figured we'd have to tell you about this one day, but never like this. I guess the first thing to explain? This girl is a friend we met and thought died 30 years ago... Mio Takamiya." She revealed.

Shido's eyes widened at that, looking at the Spirit who chose to nervously wave at him in response.

"Wait, if she's just a family friend... then why is her surname Takamiya?" Shido questioned.

"Because when your father first met Mio, she didn't have a name of her own, so he decided to share his with her." Mana explained.

"Oh yeah, that is a thing." He recalled.

Going back to his thoughts and thinking of other questions he should ask? Shido recalled her eyes.

"Then what about the fact she has the same glowing pupils the Seirei Era has?" He questioned.

Mana gave an awkward chuckle at that.

"Oh boy, I hoped that question wouldn't show up until later... you may wanna sit down." She stated.

He did just that, preparing to listen.

"Mio isn't exactly... Human, well she is, but more in the sense of what they will be." Mana began.

"You mean like she's... something further down the evolutionary tree, one or more branches after Homo Sapiens?" Shido asked.

"That's... actually pretty accurate." She confirmed.

Realizing she was about to go off track, she coughed and put herself back onto it.

"OK, basically? To best explain what I just said? Mio's a human that had incredible power at birth, which was only 6 months ago when you look at the fact she time traveled." Mana stated.

Shido's eyes widened at that, looking at her and then blinking as she looked back at his mother.

"And yet she looks as old as me? Whoa... although that explains why she felt lighter than Kotori despite she's younger." He said, releasing a huge breath.

"OK, 1? Never say that bit about her weight in front of Kotori. Then 2? You aren't wrong about how old she looks, as she's 16 biologically." Mana answered.

She cleared her throat, continuing on.

"Back to where I was? This human evolution is, based on the knowledge she had of her own birth, called a Spirit." She stated.

Shido's eyes widened slightly.

"The Japanese translation for that word is... Seirei! Mio is why the Seirei Era and the Seirei Abilities exist, isn't she!?" He realized.

"You've got it. Now, to explain how this is the case? 30 years ago, she was born when a massive amount of energy suddenly gathered in one area, causing a certain phenomenon that changed the future of our world." She stated, closing her eyes.

"Wait, an event from 30 years ago? Massive energy gathered together? Are you saying she was born from..." Shido asked.

Mana nodded her head, making his eyes shake.

"That's right, she was born from the Eurasian Sky Disaster... otherwise known as the first Spacequake. That's the best I can tell you out of respect for Mio's backstory. If you want to know the rest, then you'll have to ask her and hope she's willing to talk about it." She replied.

Shido took a deep breath, lightly hitting his chest.

"This one girl... she managed to save the entire planet on her own by re-stabilizing it? Is she really that powerful?" He asked.

"She is. When we first met her, she had the mentality of a baby due to her recent birth, but learned fluent Japanese in just a few hours by simply watching media, video games, and books. If she tried something, then she'd pick it up and master it easily, and... well, her powers can somewhat bend reality." Shinji explained.

"And now I think you're making things up!" Shido exclaimed, unable to believe it.

Motioning to Mio, she closed her eyes, and then... Shido gasped as he saw her clothing change in particles of light, changing into the black blazer that was Mana's school uniform back when she was in Middle School.

"That light... it's just like the clothes we make today." Shido realized.

"So, do you believe your... parents..." Mio replied.

At moment, she suddenly felt her eyes get hazy before she promptly fell over, making the trio panic.

"Mio!?" Shinji exclaimed.

Mana put her palm against Mio's forehead as she felt it was pretty warm, only supported by hearing Mio starting to pant a few seconds after.

"It looks like a combination of muscular fever and overheating... but why?" Mana questioned.

"Hold on, this didn't happen until right after she used her powers. Could something be wrong with them?" Shido suggested.

"Maybe, but before that, let's make sure she'll be OK." Shinji replied.

Shido nodded and helped his parents move Mio onto the couch, leaving Shinji to gather their medical supplies, with Shido holding her hand to help keep her comforted.

* * *

Kotori yawned as she finally woke up, getting Shido's attention.

"Glad to see you're awake." Shido smiled.

"Just to be sure I'm seeing where I actually am... we're in your house, right?" Kotori asked, rubbing her eyes as she looked around.

At that moment, he saw Shido's parents tending to Mio, causing her to blink at the girl she had yet to meet.

"Who's that?" Kotori asked.

"Let me summarize this best I can." Shido replied, giving an awkward chuckle.

Kotori felt him lean by her ear, and she quickly felt her mouth go flat in shock from what she was hearing, and right as she was about to say something along the lines of him being crazy?

"Look at this before you reply in any manner." Shido suggested, cutting her off.

He held up the infamous picture and made sure she saw it and Mio at the same time. Kotori's eyes immediately widened as she looked back and forth a few times.

"They're the same person... but why does she look like she hasn't aged a day?" Kotori questioned.

"If I answered that question? Then you would definitely think I'm being crazy, so I won't." Shido replied, holding his hands out in response.

He immediately winced as Kotori grabbed one of his hands, giving a scary smile towards him.

"Are you sure you won't tell me? It sounds like you're just trying to make an excuse not to, so why don't you change your mind and tell me?" Kotori demanded, a shadow over her eyes.

Shido gave a nervous look, knowing that while Kotori was fairly sweet and smiling most of the time, the moment she got angry? She was like a raging wildfire that was near impossible to calm down.

He compared her to oil lantern, which would instantly ignite the area it was in should it break apart.

"K-Kotori, settle down!" Shido begged.

"No, I will not settle down! You're gonna know how angry I feel at how you always-" Kotori continued screaming.

"Stop it." Mana warned, chopping her head.

Kotori yelped as she felt a large swelling on her head, rubbing the spot where Mana hit her.

"Ow..." She sniffled, rubbing it.

Good news? Like an oil lantern, the fire could be contained if you acted fast enough. The moment her metaphorical flames burned out, Kotori ended up in quite the defenseless position, showing a very sensitive side to herself.

And at that same moment, Mio's eyes finally fluttered open again, making Shinji smile at her in relief.

"Thank goodness, seeing you faint like that was terrifying." Shinji smiled.

"I'm not sure what happened. I was simply using my powers at first, but then... it was like my entire body was being swallowed from within by a bunch of magma." Mio answered.

Mana paused for a moment before snapped her fingers.

"I think what you said gave me an explanation." Mana replied.

"Really?" Mio replied in surprise.

"Yeah. To elaborate a bit more? You're aware of how sometimes when a machine gets too hot, they start to overheat and possibly automatically turn themselves off until they've cooled off and become safe enough to use again." Mana clarified.

Mio's eyes widened as she realized it.

"Of course! I used all that power to save the world, but its barely been around an hour from my perception. My body must have knocked me out because it knew it wasn't safe for me to use my Reiryoku right now." Mio realized.

Kotori looked confused, which is when Shinji moved to her and whispered everything, making her eyes widen and give a look of disbelief.

"Shinji, get the old DVDs." Mana requested.

"Will do." He replied, walking to the nearby cabinet and pulling a secret box out.

Opening it to show a DVD inside, he placed it into the player, making a video play.

"What am I looking-" Kotori asked.

At that moment, she was silenced by the sight of Mio changing her outfit as she missed earlier. With that, the redhead was promptly shut up.

"Fine, I believe... though you all just told me Mio's powers can bend reality, right? If she can do that, then how could she overheat from using all that power?" She questioned.

"Because Mio was born from all the world's power, which means even she has a limit. It's just that limit is just incredibly high. For Mio to overheat, that means she had to use even more power than Earth had when crated, or rather..." Mana explained.

Looking at Mio, she chuckled slightly.

"Well, I had tried to save the world from a safe spot to no avail, so I had to dive into the planet's core when I used all that power. Basically, I only used as much power as the Earth's outer layer and had to exceed that due to the geothermal energy inside its inner layer." Mio clarified.

Kotori's eyes went white from the shock of that answer.

"You went into the Earth's Core... and survived concentrated plasma!?" Kotori exclaimed in disbelief.

"Hmm... actually, that might explain how she time travelled. I bet all the energy from the heat and Earth's magnetic field, maybe even the theorized warping of physics under intense gravity, might have caused Mio's powers to open a gate into the future. Why did she get sent 30 years into the future? Well, maybe Mio's thoughts influenced it?" Shido theorized.

Mio blinked a bit, and then suddenly blushed.

"Shin... why'd you have to name me after the day of the month we met?" Mio whimpered.

At that moment, Shido and Kotori stared at the former's father, who began sweating.

"Dad, what does she mean?" Shido questioned.

"Uh... well, I may have first met her on the April 30th and decided to name her after it being the day we met?" Shinji nervously answered.

The two kept staring at him, making chuckle nervously.

Mana sighed at her husband's antics, scrolling through her phone's contacts until she found a saved number under Westcott's name.

* * *

Back with the AST, the intensity of the second Spacequake had pushed them into the ground, surprising them all.

"Anyone get the pulse on that Spacequake?" Ryouko asked, her eyes spinning.

"I've never seen a Spacequake stress our territories like that... just how powerful is this Spirit, much less who is it?" Ellen questioned, getting back on her feet.

Tapping her wrist, she tried to see which Spirit it was.

The reading that came up was [Princess], which made her eyes briefly widen in surprise.

"Wait... Princess is the Spirit who made that Spacequake? But how?" Ellen questioned.

In mere moments, the sight of the Spirit named Princess came into view, standing within the crater her Spacequake had left behind as the rest of the AST readied themselves.

Turning to look at them with soft eyes that were a mix of indigo, pink, and pale gold was a teenage girl with long violet hair that was tied back with a ribbon resembling an evil butterfly with pointy edges and a violet coloration, leaving the rest of her massive hair to flow out from underneath it.

Her outfit was a very revealing dress with a dark violet, black, and magenta color scheme; resembling a mix between knight armor, and a princess' ballgown.

"Wait a second, is... is that really Princess?" Ryouko questioned, a confused look on her face.

"It can't be..." Ellen gasped.

Hearing their words, the Spirit raised a hand and glared her eyes at the AST, emitting pure Maryoku from her body.

 **"Nahemah!"**

Right as those words escaped her mouth, a dark sword with an odd shape and red glowing lines materialized into her hands, making Ellen flinch in response.

'That's pure Maryoku! I'm not sure what happened, but Princess isn't emitting any Reiryoku anymore!' She realized.

"C-Captain?" One of the other AST members asked.

"Don't drop your guards for even a moment! I don't know why, but... the Princess we're looking at has changed!" Ellen warned.

Before they could even ask, Princess swung her sword and unleashed a huge energy slash at them, forcing them all to dodge.

From the air, they all saw the mile-long gash she cut through the city with.

"She's gotten stronger... but how? Just what's happened to her since she last appeared?" Ryouko questioned.

"I'm not sure, but it's clear she's the opposite of Mio..." Ellen replied.

She whistled loudly.

"AST, get into Beta Formation!" Ellen ordered.

Moving out into a certain pattern, the Spirit known as Princess responded by levitating into the air, her figure outlined by the setting sun.

"Know your limits!" She screamed.

Swinging her Demon towards the ground, she unleashed a dangerous attack that immediately knocked the AST out of formation, while Ellen's eyes shrunk as she moved her weapon up to defend.

 **"Caledfwlch!"**

Their swords struck against each other before creating a powerful flash.

* * *

Back inside of DEM Industries, the sight of Westcott calling Mana's phone could be seen.

"So, you verified it too?" She asked.

"That's right, we even made sure this wasn't some kind of trick just to be safe. It also worked in our favor because her Spacequake was registered after the first. Basically, your son got her out of the danger zone and left the AST without anything to worry on as they focus on-" He confirmed.

A sudden alert got his attention, which Mana saw as he briefly turned.

"Sorry, I'm going to have to call you back. Something serious just came up..." Westcott apologized, sighing a little.

"OK, talk to you later." Mana nodded in understanding.

He ended the call before releasing a loud groan, slumping into his chair as he covered his eyes.

"Ike, what are you going to do?"

Stopping his slump and turning his chair around, he saw Elliot come into view, driving an electronic wheelchair due to having weakened leg muscles.

"For now? We don't say anything... just let Mio catch up with them." He answered.

"This is a bad idea, you have to tell her." Elliot warned.

"Believe me Elliot, had things be different, I wouldn't have lied to Mana about needing to call her back... but they're not. If Mio were to learn the truth right now, we'd simply be putting her in danger." Westcott replied, a hand covering part of his face.

"And why is that?" Elliot questioned.

Westcott sighed as he clasped his hands together, lowering his head.

"Something Mana told me during her call was... right now, Mio can't use her Reiryoku due to how much power she used to save us." He revealed.

Elliot's eyes widened.

"As in she can't use her powers? Are you serious!?" He exclaimed.

"I am... she just altered her outfit and it was enough that was knocked unconscious. Mana states she's basically overheated right now. That's why I can't let her find out the truth, because if she does... what do you think she'd do, despite that fact?" Westcott answered, closing his eyes.

Elliot sighed, knowing what kind of person Mio was.

"She's as pure as the light she was born from... of course she'd ignore the risks to try and protect everyone, regardless of how little she could do." He answered sadly.

"And that's why for now, we can't let her know. She needs to recover before we can let her risk her life for us." Westcott replied.

"Yes, as much as I hate it... I have to agree. Let's just hope that Ellen can buy her enough time to do that." Elliot agreed.

Westcott tightened the grip on his hands.

'Before, we couldn't do anything... this time let's do something to protect and save her, otherwise... we could lose her again, possibly for good.' Westcott thought.

Right at that moment, both of them heard the alarms go off.

"Well, looks like my reason for hanging off isn't a completely a lie now..." He said to himself, gritting his teeth slightly.

* * *

Ellen and Princess stood across from each other, the former panting slightly.

"Damn it... everyone, stay back! I'll deal with Princess myself!" Ellen ordered.

All of them flew back as Ellen brought out her other weapon.

"It seems you're not all talk, but that doesn't stop your strength from being futile. If only you'd be wise enough to accept this reality." She mocked.

"I knew someone a lot stronger than you 30 years ago, you're nothing compared to her." Ellen retorted.

Princess' eyes suddenly shot open before a look of pure rage appeared on her face, causing Ellen to gasp as she saw the rising power on her CR-Unit's readings.

"Don't you dare mention that bitch in my presence!" Princess roared, truly angry.

Ellen didn't have any time to react as she was struck into the ground, barely keeping herself on her feet as she slid across it.

'Wait, those words... does she know who Mio is? This is bad, then that might mean she's trying to go after her!' She realized.

She immediately put her sword away and grabbed her other weapon, a gun that materialized a spearhead. Princess rushed down to attack her again, immediately putting her in range of her weapon, which she quickly took.

"I won't let you!" Ellen shouted.

 **"Rhongomiant!"**

She fired a powerful cross-shaped blast at Princess, who simply held a hand up as he grabbed the attack, only briefly being pushed back as the force blew her violet hair around like a strong wind.

Ellen's eyes widened at how easily she countered her other weapon.

"I'm sorry, but what is it you won't let me do?" Princess questioned.

She began pouring all of her power into the blade off her Demon, with the pressure pushing the Strongest Wizard into the ground. As a look of shock formed on Ellen's face as the Spirit rushed towards her.

Ellen quickly formed a Territory in response... only for her to scream as Princess smashed it apart, making her scream as she slashed through her side.

"Captain!" One of the AST Wizards called out.

Placing her hand on her wound as it bled slightly, Ellen gritted her teeth to control her pain threshold and stop it.

"Damn..." She grunted.

"Now, it's time for me to finish you-" Princess announced.

She paused before turning her eyes shifted to the side.

The other Wizards soon saw what had caught her attention as they saw some kind of black machine with a red light flying through the air, creating a loud beeping sound as its sensors locked onto the Spirit before it.

'No, this is horrible timing!' Ellen thought.

The machine instantly fired a beam at her, but Princess simply pointed her finger out to form a small energy sphere... which then blasted the machine out of the sky! As the mechanical enigma lowered to the ground, she rose her throne using her free hand.

 **"Nahemah: Paverschlev!"**

Her silver throne shattered apart, making its shards combine with Nahemah to create an even larger blade that was three times her size.

"Everyone, move!" Ellen warned.

"It's time to die!" She screamed, swinging it down.

She instantly swung it down, completely vaporizing the machine and everything within a 10-kilometer radius of her attack. The AST all stared at this even greater power she had held back until this moment.

The sight alone was enough to unnerve even Ellen, making it clear how outmatched they were.

"You bastards are-" Princess stated, turning at them.

However, right as she did? Princess noticed her body start to ripple as it became translucent. Looking at all of them, she gritted her teeth as a warning before she disappeared completely.

"Wow, for her to become Lost at that moment... I can't believe how lucky we were." Ryouko sighed in relief.

"I'm not sure that was luck..." Ellen replied worriedly.

Looking at where the machine was, she sweated at the thought of what kind of signs it and Princess' new form and the powers tied to it were warning them of.

* * *

Mana was seen coming down the stairs from her call with Westcott, holding a box in her hand.

"Mio, this is for you." She smiled.

She blinked at the box that Mana had just offered to her.

"What is it?" Mio asked.

"Consider it a welcome home gift from all seven of us." Mana smiled.

Kotori rubbed her forehead at that.

"Still can't believe both of you, my parents, and the three founders of DEM Industries all know her..." She sighed.

After a few more seconds of looking, Mio took the box and placed it on the ground to open it.

When she saw what was inside, she gave a loud gasp, followed by her eyes sparkling. Shido and Kotori were confused by what could get her to react in such a manner.

"I don't believe it!" Mio exclaimed.

She quickly pulled out a set of clothes that were quickly revealed to be a combination of a strapless dress shirt, plaid-style shorts, and a hair ribbon. While the one difference was the hoodie had short-sleeves, all of them made the outfit she wore 30 years ago.

"You remade my favorite clothes!" Mio sniffled, hugging them close.

"It wouldn't be a proper reunion if you didn't have them." Mana smiled.

Mio quickly nodded in agreement, though she soon made everyone's eyes widen as she immediately pulled her shirt off, causing Shinji to close his eyes and Kotori to slap her hand over Shido's.

"Ow!" He winced.

After Mio had fully dressed herself in her remade clothes, Kotori removed her hand, causing Shido to see her happily spinning across the room with a bright smile on her face.

'Her smile, it's so cute!' He thought.

Kotori suddenly felt her left eye twitch for some reason, making her blink in confusion.

'What just happened?' She thought.

"I guess... that's the best I could ask you to save." Mio sighed, a sad smile on her face.

Giggling a bit, Mio turned around to see Shinji walk towards her before pulling something into view, causing her eyes to widen before they quickly filled with tears. He wasn't holding anything special, but to her? It was one of the most important things in the world.

Despite it had fought wear and tear over 30 years, leaving it to have been patched up in a few areas, it was the same teddy bear from the picture of her and Shido's parents.

* * *

 _Mio and Shinji were seen in an arcade together, with the former's eyes sparkling as she looked at all of the gaming machines._

 _"Shin, what is this place? Are we inside some robot's stomach!?" Mio asked._

 _"Uh... no, this is an arcade." Shinji corrected, giving an awkward chuckle._

 _And in those few seconds he replied? He instantly lost her, making him panic as he looked around. Luckily, he soon found the hyper Spirit standing in front of a crane game full of teddy bears, making him smile as he read her thoughts._

 _"You want one, don't you?" He asked._

 _Mio blushed at that, looking at him with an embarrassed face as she waved her hands out._

 _"N-No, I'm not interested in..." Mio replied, trying to deny it._

 _Her words came too late, as he already placed a coin inside._

 _After 10 grueling minutes, which completely devoured most of the money Shinji had on hand, he finally managed to win one of the stuffed bears resting in the machine. Once he realized this, he rose his hand._

 _"Yes! Take that stupid crane, I just took your inventory!" He shouted, a bit delirious from the fatigue._

 _The nearby patrons began to snicker at his comment, making him turn red as he remembered where he was. Shinji quickly grabbed the bear out of the crane machine and held it in front of Mio._

 _"Shin?" She questioned in confusion._

 _"Well... you were looking at it, so I thought you wanted it. Do you not like it?" Shinji answered._

 _After a few seconds, Mio's cheeks turned a bit red from the second to last word he said._

 _"Like..." Mio said softly._

 _Hugging the toy bear to her incredibly gifted chest, she gave Shinji the biggest smile he ever saw her make._

 _"Like... feelings of affection... being strongly interested in something." Mio said quietly, feeling herself smile._

 _"Uh... Mio?" Shinji blinked, raising an eye._

 _"Thank you Shin." Mio replied._

 _The image focused on the bear in her hands, showing the cute smile permanently plastered on her face._

 _A smile that it somehow gave to its new owner._

* * *

As her trip down memory lane ended, the bear as it looked now replaced its original form as Mio reached out to it, giving a tearful smile as she hugged it.

"You... kept it safe, all these years..." Mio smiled, crying happy tears.

"Of course we did. It was all that was left of you when we thought you died, it was the one thing we refused to lose." Shinji smiled back.

Mio sniffled more, rubbing her eyes.

"Thank you... thank you so much Shin." She cried, hugging her precious bear closer.

Seeing that, Kotori reached up to her ribbons, smiling as she felt them for a moment.

"It's something holding precious memories, isn't it?" She realized.

"Shinji won that for her the first time we let her see the world she could finally understand. She's treasured it ever since." Mana confirmed.

Sniffling a bit more, Mio wiped her eyes before turning towards Shinji.

"I'm... I'm finally home!" She exclaimed.

And with that, everyone was brought into a group hug, though Kotori gave a deadpan look to show she didn't enjoy it.

* * *

Walking into a certain room of the DEM, a loud heaving could be heard from Ellen, who had been winded from just climbing two flights of steps. Taking a moment to catch her breath from the fatigue it gave her, she held onto part of the railings.

"What the hell... is wrong with me outside... of a CR-Unit!?" She coughed, feeling like her lungs shrunk.

Taking a deep breath, she held the spot she had been injured, which was a bit tender because it had just been healed by a medical Realizer. Upon coming in, Elliot and Westcott looked at her, and both struggled to hold their laughter.

"Stop laughing!" Ellen demanded.

"Ellen, how is it the stairs are mightier than the Spirits?" Elliot joked, accidentally letting a chuckle get out.

"SHUT UP!" Ellen screamed angrily.

Westcott kept laughing, soon waving her hand as he advised Elliot to stop laughing, with Ellen still fuming at their innocent teasing.

"Alright, we got the reading about the machine and the damages. But can you actually tell us what happened out there?" He asked.

Ellen sighed at that.

"Princess appeared, only this time... she didn't come through Maryoku using Reiryoku. It seemed like she induced the Spacequake using Maryoku she was using herself." She sighed, closing her eyes.

Hearing that, both men in the room gave a serious look.

"Shiizaki, can we get an in-depth reading based on the energy traces Princess left in the area?" Westcott inquired.

"Already have Isaac, the readings state her Spirit powers was... negative." She confirmed.

Westcott's eyes widened in surprise.

"A negative reading? Then that would mean... Kawagoe, forward these readings to the higher ups in the JGSDF and tell them to create a Category-E for any negative Spirit readings we get in the future." He requested.

"On it." He replied.

Sighing a bit, he rubbed his temple before looking at Ellen.

"That's not all of the bad news either. During the battle, a black machine appeared to attack Princess... and I mean one of _those_ machines." She continued, the fear in her voice apparent.

"What!?" Elliot exclaimed in shock.

Hearing that, Westcott went entirely white as his hands dropped to the ground.

"Damn it, why now?" He questioned.

"Ike, what's wrong?" Ellen asked, confused to why he reacted with such a petrified reaction.

It took a few moments before he sighed, turning around.

"Ellen, come closer." Westcott replied.

She kneeled by his ear, right as he whispered everything that he just learned from Mana, causing her eyes to widen as she felt her own skin pale slightly.

"We're in really deep shit right now..." She breathed.

And right at that moment, she fell backwards and fainted, making her two friends stare at the sight.

* * *

In the shadows of some unknown location, the sight of an unknown figure was seen in the shadows of a darkened room, their gender ambiguous as only the sleeve of a business suit they wore confirmed they were even Human.

The person in question turned as they saw someone walked in, who could only be identified by a scar they had on their face.

"Boss, it seems the scout failed as expected." They stated.

Hearing what they said, the enigmatic figure grabbed a cigar before releasing a large puff of smoke.

"So, that proves it. Empress has succumbed to the Maryoku's great power. Now that we've confirmed this, this operation has been proven as a success." The boss replied.

"Oh, we also have other news we didn't expect." The subordinate mentioned.

This caught the boss' attention, right as they were handed a file on Mio Takamiya, the one known as Genesis to their organization. However, upon seeing her current condition...

"Hmm... sorry, but this matters little for now. Your report says she doesn't have the same power anymore. For now, we'll focus on the fruits that will reward our labor, not outdated relics of the past." The boss replied.

Nodding their head, the subordinate saluted.

"Understood, so what should we do next?" They asked.

"Prepare a Bandersnatch squadron for deployment. I'm fairly certain that soon enough, not only will we have Empress to capture... but Efreet and Devil as well." The boss answered.

Opening their mouth, the boss of the unknown group gave a toothy smile, revealing the sharp fangs that were their teeth.

* * *

 **And that's it for the second chapter, where Mio's finally learned of what happened as she takes in the fact she disappeared for 30 years, along with how everyone had to deal with her absence. Not only that, but she's come into a world where everything's changed not world map wise, but technology wise and even style wise. The only solace she's been given is her friends are still alive, and her beloved bear made it through.**

 **We also got our first glimpse of the villains in the present day, who sent a machine after Tohka just to prove something, intentionally letting it be destroyed by her. Whoever this organization's leader is, he or she wants something that relates to the Hermetic Trio's origins and the Inverse Form, enough that they're labeling the weakened Mio as outdated technology.**

 **Both this group and the DEM use different code names to identify the Spirits as individuals. As you can see, I split up the canon code names between them to help paint each group's views on them, and while the DEM's names are more humane? Their enemies use terms to reference the Spirits being powerful, villainous, dangerous, or just to be derogatory.**

 **Finally, now that we have Mio in the story, and since this is a vital question you might be wondering due to Shido having no Spirit parent like in canon? I think it's time I answer about how sealing works in this story. The answer, because sealing won't be in this story, because Shido and Mio will be dealing with the Spirits in a different manner. Romance will still be involved, but the kiss isn't the vital clincher this time.**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	3. The Past of the Present

**Alright everyone, this chapter's special for two reasons. The first, after two chapters to help warm things up, introduce everyone, and get Mio somewhat settled into things... we're finally ready to involve our prominent characters into the action! The second reason? Because today is my birthday, and I figured that since you can't give me presents, I'd give all of you a present instead ^^**

 **This chapter will be where the action finally reaches our heroes, and boy will it be a wakeup call for a few reasons I can't say due to spoilers. What can be said is that we're currently in the "Tohka arc" of the story. More importantly, as of Tohka's appearance, we've already met all of the Spirits that will be showing up, as I feel the four we have right now are all that are needed to progress the story line.**

 **The romance also will start as of this chapter, so I should bring up how Shido deals with his harem in this story compared to his canon self. To elaborate, where Shido isn't as sure and has yet to be definite about having a harem? The one in this story isn't as uncertain. Although, there will initially be a reason he doesn't have one, which is related to what makes Mio the main girl, but it won't last too long.**

 **Something else that I should after the previous chapter is why Shido mentioned Seirei being the Japanese word for Spirit, despite he lives in Japan and his parents (and Mio) know the language, along with how the terms Seirei Era and Seirei Abilities also come off like this. My apologies for not clearing that before now, but know this chapter will help answer that question.**

 **Oh, and with what I said about how Shido can't seal Spirits, not to mention he doesn't have his method to use Spirit powers in canon? I think this is a good time for me to bring this up. Despite this power won't show up in the story, he'll still be able to use his harem's power through a means he'll eventually gain later on, while he also still has his Seirei Ability to help him out in its place.**

 **With all of that said... let the chapter begin!**

 **P.S: This story's version of Elliot resembles how he looked while wearing his CR-Unit in V18 to make his physical appearance match Ellen and Westcott's.**

* * *

 **[Chapter 3 - The Past of the Present]**

 _A few weeks after the Day of the Black Earth had passed, Shinji was seen heading back to his and Mana's apartment. As he neared it, the sound of crying was heard, getting his attention._

 _He rushed over to get a closer look, seeing Mana cry as she stood next to Haruko and Tatsuo, hugging them as they cried with her. That's when he noticed a young Ellen and Elliot's hands on their respective backs, struggling to hold their tears back._

 _As for Westcott... he turned as he noticed Shinji's arrival, noticing his confused face at the scene before with a sad look on his face._

 _"Shinji..." He said solemnly._

 _"What's going on? Why's everyone... crying?" Shinji asked, feeling his entire body tremble._

 _Walking up to him, Westcott closed his eyes._

 _"I... finally discovered where Mio went to save the world, but... this is all I could find." He answered._

 _At that moment, Shinji dropped his bags as he saw Westcott hold out Mio's teddy bear._

 _She never went anywhere without it, so if it was here and she wasn't... that could only mean the one thing Shinji and the others didn't want to believe for the past week._

 _"It can't be..." Shinji breathed in horror._

 _Taking the teddy bear in his hands, Shinji fell onto his knees, holding it close as his eyes began shedding tears._

 _"Mio, you promised that you'd come home! Why didn't you keep your promise!?" He screamed, with anguish staining every inch of his voice._

 _Westcott looked to the side, his eyes getting misty as the weight finally sunk in._

 _Shortly after hugging it, the ribbon tied to it transformed into a letter, which dropped into Shinji's hands. Realizing what it was, he quickly opened it to read the contents inside._

 ** _"If you're reading this and I haven't return, then... I'm afraid that I didn't make it back. For you Shinji? I have to apologize to you, because I was forced to choose between two promises, and to keep my promise to save the world... I failed to keep the one I made with you. With the last of my strength, I made sure my beloved teddy made it back to you, so it would always be a reminder to you that I was here. That I was alive."_**

 ** _"I'm not sure what my powers did after saving the world, but if you are reading this? Humanity once again has a future. You showed me how to live, you taught me what it meant to be happy, and most of all... you showed me what it was like to feel loved. I'm sure that you and Mana will have a happy future together, so keep me in your hearts like I kept you in mine until the end."_**

 ** _~ Wishing you all the best in your futures, Mio Takamiya_**

 _Shinji's tears fell on the letter's form as he kept reading, with only a single line left for him to read._

 _"I love you Shinji, and thank you." He cried._

 _Dropping the letter, he went into a full-blown sob that the others soon followed him in, unable to restrain the weight of the loss they were already struggling with._

 _She had only been since months since Mio had been given life, only for her to pay the ultimate sacrifice and be erased from the world... he now understood the pain that his fellow mages who lost their children the horrible machines that hunted their kind._

 _"I'm sorry Mio, if only... if only we had done more." Westcott apologized._

 _As he covered his eyes, a tear finally dripped from his face, quickly hitting the ground with a quiet splash._

 _At the same time, a tear landed on the bear's eyes, as if it was crying in Mio's place._

* * *

Princess felt her eyes open again, growling at the memory she was forced to see in her dreams.

"What did... I just see? Why does it make me feel so angry? Why..." Princess asked herself.

A memory of her looking scared and crying was seen as machines flew after her, unleashing deadly blasts without restraint or mercy.

"Why... why? I said why, damn it!?" She demanded.

She swung her arm, causing the energy of the unknown realm she lived in to destabilize for a moment.

"Just what let that bitch gain kindness instead of fear? Why am I the one being hunted!?" Princess questioned.

After the expected silence, she looked in one direction.

She stood up and walked forward before, and without any warning, grabbed a random area of the strange energy realm... then ripped it apart to create some kind of portal.

Princess began heading towards it as her nightgown of light changed into her armored ballgown.

"You will know... what it's like to be hunted, I will make sure of that... Mio." Princess promised, an angry glare on her face.

* * *

Once enough time passed, DEM Industries used Realizers to repair the damage done to the city, letting everyone leave the shelters and return to the surface as if the threat had never happened.

With the freedom to visit the outside area, Mio was seen with Shido and Kotori, looking at her new home of Tenguu City and how the world she saved had changed.

"This is... wow." She breathed.

Aside from the lack of clothes with long sleeves that were made of light like her Astral Dress?

She saw people with hair colors that were once only possible in anime, everyone sharing the skin tone best associated with the people of Central Europe while showing more than simply Japanese heritage, no signs of pollutants, and very little conflict between people.

"It's so peaceful, though I'm a bit confused about all the hair colors and why everyone has the same skin tone?" Mio admitted.

"Uh... but don't my parents have blue hair?" Shido asked.

"Wait, you mean it isn't just dyed anymore?" She replied.

Kotori suddenly began laughing at that, holding her stomach at how unexpectedly funny their comments ended up becoming. Shido cleared his throat and continued answering.

"As for everyone's skins tone, well... that's kind of expected when 9 billion died over the course of 6 months, and most of the world is of a certain skin tone..." He continued.

Mio went silent, even Kotori stopped laughing for a moment.

"Sorry, guess I shouldn't mention that for obvious reasons relating to 30 years ago?" She realized.

"Yeah." Kotori confirmed, nodding a little.

As they continued on, Mio soon caught the sight of someone's legs bouncing like springs as they used them to put a sign over a shop they were preparing to open.

"Did I just see a man with springs in his legs?" She questioned, not turning away.

"Oh right, we still haven't told you everything about the Seirei Era." Shido realized.

"Wait... are you saying that everyone has some kind of special ability? Like they're Quasi-Spirits?" Mio questioned, showing brief surprise.

"That's right, and some people have more than one. For example..." Kotori confirmed.

Kotori moved her thumb into her mouth and bit down on it with enough force to draw blood, making her wince slightly. Before Mio could even express her concern, she saw the wound close and the blood disappear.

"A healing ability, that's amazing!" Mio breathed, amazed at the sight.

"That's right, and Shido is an example of someone with two abilities... well, technically its one ability that has two different effects, so it might as well be considered two abilities." Kotori smiled.

Biting on her thumb again, she wiped the blood over part of Shido's outfit. Mio was confused until she saw Shido move his hand over the stained spot.

 **"Purify."**

Pulling his hand away, a small red glob of red came off Shido's shirt, removing the stain like it was never there to begin with. Upon clasping his hand, the glob of blood vanished.

"W-What did you just..." Mio questioned.

"My ability lets me remove impurities in or on an object and empty out something, depending on what they are. It all depends if I say _purify_ or _silence_ when I use it." Shido explained.

"Hence why you can consider it both one power and two." Kotori added.

"Wow, though I'm guessing not every ability is a good one, or at the very least not useful in same manner?" Mio replied.

Kotori nodded her head, trying to think of an example.

"There are some powers that could be for a mundane or situational example. One of my classmates has an ability that lets them walk across water." She answered.

Mio imagined someone running across the ocean for a marathon, chuckling a bit.

"I do have to ask, why do you call them by those names, aside the Spirit connection, when you live in Japan... speaking of which, why doesn't it feel like we're actually speaking Japanese when we talk?" She questioned.

"Considering that's related to you? I'm going to text my parents about that, so hold on for a moment." Shido replied.

"That's OK, I can wait." Mio responded.

Using his phone to text them, everyone waited until a text alert showed them sending Shido a very lengthy answer.

"Ah, here we go. It's because when your actions created the Seirei Era? It fused all languages together, like you undid that whole Tower of Babel curse while keeping the words from said languages for certain things. As the DEM HQ is stationed here in Japan and they named it? They decided to honor Japanese Culture, along with the fact it was your home." Shido revealed.

Mio gave a loud _Aw~_ at the kind gesture.

"That's so sweet! I can't wait to see what other kind of powers everyone could have-" Mio replied.

She was cut off as she accidentally bumped into someone, knocking both of them onto their butts as a result. Shido and Kotori looked to see she bumped into Origami, who was walking with Saya.

"I'm so sorry, are you OK!?" Mio panicked.

"D-Don't worry, I'm OK." Origami replied.

Shido offered his hand, making Origami blush as she accepted it, soon being pulled back on her feet.

"Origami, are you alright?" He asked.

"I-I'm OK, just got a little surprised." Origami reassured him.

"Shido, do you know this girl?" Kotori asked.

Blinking a bit, Shido soon laughed as he realized the whole Spacequake situation had made him forget to tell Kotori or his parents how his first day of school went, while Mio had no way of knowing them.

"Right, let me introduce you." He apologized.

First, he motioned to Saya while looking at Mio.

"This is Sawa Yamauchi, a Freshman that's also the Student Council President of Rindouji High, though most of us call her Saya by her own permission." Shido explained.

Saya did a proper curtsy in response.

"A pleasure to meet you." She smiled.

Then he looked at Kotori while motioning to Origami, who shyly waved her hand.

"And the one Mio just bumped into is Origami Tobiichi, a new classmate of mine who says we met during the Tenguu Fire." Shido explained once more.

"Well, if we're having introductions, then I'm Kotori Itsuki." Kotori greeted, waving back.

"And my name's Mio Takamiya." Mio smiled.

"That must mean you're the twin sister I saw listed on Shido's records." Saya assumed.

Mio shook her head, making Saya blink in confusion.

"I'm not actually related to Shido, we only share a last name because his father found me when I was very young and gave me my name. The closest people I have to parents are Ike, Ellen, and Elliot." She explained.

"The Founders of DEM Industries?" Origami said in surprise.

"Yeah, and until recently? I've never been out in the city." Mio replied, nodding her head.

Saya scratched her head before shrugging and offering her a handshake.

"While that was a bit confusing, it's nice to meet you. I assume you may be attending Rindouji High soon? It's still early enough in the year for someone to transfer without many issues." Saya asked, noticing Mio looked to be her age.

"Haven't thought that far yet, but I'll give it some thought." Mio promised.

Origami looked at Mio, then at Shido, and then back at Mio again. There was something on her mind as she looked between them, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Say, what are your Seirei Abilities?" Mio asked, a curious look on her face.

"A curious one, aren't you? Let me see your hand and I'll show you." Saya giggled, offering her hand.

Mio gave it to her, then closed her eyes as everyone saw an iridescent flame that represented her aura.

"Whoa!" Kotori exclaimed.

"I'm able to see the defining color of someone via fiery aura. Though I'll admit this one is quite unique... a rainbow of harmony, yet it feels like had things changed, this wouldn't be such a united energy." Saya remarked.

Mio noticed she looked sad, as if there was something more to what she was saying... and maybe what she actually saw.

"What about you, Origami?" Shido asked.

"Uh... it's not something I can freely do, you'd have to throw something at me." Origami replied, blushing a bit.

Kotori saw a nearby rock and picked it up.

"Think fast!" She warned, smirking a bit.

Origami turned as Kotori threw it, screaming as she vanished from view and reappeared a few feet away.

"Was that teleportation?" Kotori asked.

"Kind of... more like my body warps away from danger when it senses a genuine threat. Being bumped into or getting sick are examples of when this doesn't happen." Origami answered.

Mio's eyes sparkled in amazement.

"Oh, could you do a favor for me Shido?" Saya asked.

"Sure, what is it?" Shido answered.

"I was taking Origami home because I was staying after class for reasons such as upcoming event organization, candidates for the other Student Council positions, and other school related tasks. If it's not too much trouble, do you mind doing so in my place? I'd prefer not to worry my parents by getting home late." Saya requested.

"Alright, you can count on me." Shido promised.

Saya smiled, and began heading home.

"Oh yeah, good luck as our Council President!" Shido shouted in encouragement.

"Thanks!" She responded.

As she walked away, Saya let out a sigh as her smile was replaced by a flat look.

'Her aura... have I finally found a clue?' She thought.

Once a few moments had passed, Mio suddenly caught something that had been mentioned, but she had missed up until now.

"Wait, you have a sister? Why didn't I see her at your house?" Mio asked.

"Dang it, I keep forgetting stuff today." Shido realized, face palming a bit.

Clearing his throat, he looked at her.

"Yeah, she's my older twin. She's in Okinawa right now because of... something related to a job she does." Shido explained.

As the group of four walked off, they failed to notice the sight of someone glaring at them from the roof tops, revealing the Spirit known as Princess.

"I've found you... Mio."

* * *

 _Shinji coughed as he got up, looking behind him as he couldn't believe what had just occurred._

 _And to be honest... why would he? There wasn't anyone in the world who'd expect they'd survive a Spacequake they were within the vicinity of, yet that's exactly what happened, no matter how much he tried to deny it._

 _"Oh god... when I get home, Mana's likely going to be passed out on the floor..." He breathed._

 _He got back on his feet, but the moment he did... Shinji's eyes widened at what he saw. It was the silhouette of someone within the crater, something that shouldn't have been possible under any circumstance._

 _"I'm absolutely crazy, but I'm also not heartless!" Shinji shouted._

 _Rushing towards the crater, he went to help whoever was inside of it, as he was the only one in the area that could if they did._

 _Once he slid into the crater, the sight he saw instantly made him froze as if he was seeing a waking nightmare._

 _"W-w-what the heck!?" He exclaimed._

 _Standing before him, on the ground where everything else had been annihilated, was a girl._

 _Not just any girl either, but one with an unparalleled and transcendent beauty to her. She had long silver hair that shined like a diamond, a perfect hourglass figure, and a bosom so large that he was sure calling them "gifted" was an insult._

 _But the most notable trait about her? It was her blue eyes, not for their color or the shine in them, but... because she had glowing pupils that made them look white, alien, yet incredibly enchanting._

 _'Who... who is this girl?' Shinji wondered, getting closer._

 _Slowly turning her head, the sight of Shinji's form entered her eyes, and she slowly got up as if she was attempting to retreat._

 _"W-Wait, don't go! I'm not here to-" He exclaimed, waving his arms up._

 _As he tried to show her that he meant no harm, he tripped over a rock and fell on his back, which lead him to roll across the crater's side and tumble a few times. Just when he finally thought it was over, the rock he tripped over ended up landing on his head, revealing he had somehow launched it into the air._

 _Blinking a few times, the girl got closer, curious to what had just happened to the figure before her. Shinji weakly lifted his head, showing a slight bruise where the rock hit._

 _"Not... going... to hurt you..." Shinji wheezed._

 _She blinked again._

 _As she looked at him, the girl opened her mouth, but all that came out was a bunch of mumbled gibberish. It was as if Shinji was listening to a baby's babbling._

 _"Wait, do you not know how to talk?" Shinji asked, getting up a bit._

 _She only stared at him, simply turning her head as she put her hand across his face, making him let out a few awkward noises as played around with his nose and mouth. Eventually, a sweat drop went down his cheek._

 _'I'm going to take that as a yes..." He decided._

 _Regardless of what was going on with this girl or even in general, he could tell she was alone, and by her reaction to him? She was likely acting afraid, with her lack of understanding or even her speech gave him all the more reason to believe it._

 _'Then I'm left with no choice.' Shinji realized, making a determined face._

 _Before the girl could realize what was going on, she felt something land on her shoulders as Shinji's coat fell on her arms. Looking up, she saw him giving her a reassuring smile before he began carrying her in his arms._

 _"Come on, let's get you some help." He stated._

 _The girl's eyes shined a bit, as despite having no idea what was going on? For the first time she could understand in her short life... she didn't want to flee._

 _A feeling that comforted her as she rested her head on his chest._

* * *

 _Once Shinji managed to get the girl to his and Mana's shared apartment, she sat her down on the couch, leaving her to blink as she looked around._

 _"Stay here for now. My girlfriend's gonna be back at any moment, and I should let her know about this before she explodes at me." Shinji stated._

 _Walking out of the room, the girl noticed something on the table and poked it, making it wobble a bit._

 _Right as Shinji walked out of the room, he saw the door open to show a girl with her hair tied in a ponytail and dyed blue like his own, groaning as she walked in and swapped her shoes with her slippers._

 _"What a day..." She complained quietly._

 _"Hey Mana!" Shinji called out._

 _Looking up, she saw Shinji fast walk towards her._

 _"Shinji, what's wrong?" She asked._

 _"Uh... well, it's kinda..." He replied._

 _After a minute of trying to reply, and Mana staring as his inability to do-so with a deadpan look on her face, Shinji just grabbed her wrist._

 _"Just come in here." He asked._

 _He pulled her into the room with the strange girl, making her yelp._

 _"Ow, Shinji!" Mana shouted._

 _"Sorry!" He apologized._

 _Pulling her into the room, Shinji blinked as she saw the girl suddenly putting a puzzle together, already halfway finished._

 _"Why is she wearing nothing but your coat?" Mana questioned, raising an eyebrow._

 _"I know this is going to sound weird, but I found her in the crater of a Spacequake, and... well, look at her eyes." Shinji answered._

 _Still giving him the flat look of suspicion, she turned to look at the girl's eyes, which is when hers widened._

 _"Her eyes have white pupils!" She exclaimed._

 _He nodded his head, failing to notice Mana starting to go pale._

 _"Hey, Shinji... did you consider the fact she may be behind all the Spacequakes and you just brought a bomb into our house?" She inquired._

 _"Eh!?" He panicked._

 _Right as that was happening, the girl turned to the two, which caused her coat to start sliding off._

 _"No, don't move!" Shinji warned._

 _Her eyes aimed themselves as Mana's outfit before closing them for a moment. In response, both of them gasped as a bunch of light suddenly gathered around her body, creating a copy of her school uniform._

 _As the two stared at it, Shinji suddenly felt Mana fall into her arms, a lightheaded expression on her face._

 _"Shinji, call 911... I think my sanity is fading..." Mana groaned._

 _"No, I saw that too." He replied, a flat expression on his face._

 _Helping his girlfriend get back on her feet, they looked at the girl as she looked back in an attempt to mimic them._

 _"OK, so this isn't a normal girl and she might be causing the Spacequakes... what do you suggest we do with her?" Mana asked._

 _Shinji looked at her, and no matter how he did, her eyes had an innocence to them._

 _If she actually was causing the Spacequakes, then he couldn't believe she was doing them of her own will, especially with how she was initially afraid of him. This girl... she was alone... she needed someone, she needed them._

 _"I think we should take care of her." Shinji decided._

 _"Shinji, are you crazy!?" Mana screamed in disbelief._

 _"Maybe she is the cause of the Spacequakes, but if she is... then we need to help her, because if we do? Then no one else will have to die. Even if you don't want to help me, I can see it in her eyes... she needs a friend." He answered, completely serious._

 _Mana didn't reply for a bit, and then sighed as she smiled, knowing that Shinji's mind was made up._

 _"F..."_

 _Both of them widened their eyes, noticing the girl's mouth trying to move like Shinji's._

 _"F... Fri... end... Friend?" She weakly said._

 _Shinji couldn't believe his eyes. This girl who had shown no ability to communicate had chosen to mimic him, and in doing so, she managed to talk to the first time._

 _"That's right, I'm your friend." Shinji smiled, pointing at himself._

 _"Friend." She repeated._

 _On that day, the start of a wonderful friendship had begun._

* * *

Walking around an area of town with a bunch of food stands, Mio looked at all the delicious food she could see, her group noticing the slight bit of drool escaping her mouth.

"Has she... not been outside much or never at all?" Origami inquired.

"Not really, it's been a long time since she's been outside of the care of the DEM's HQ." Shido chuckled, looking to the side.

Checking both her and Shido's wallet, Kotori saw how much they had, only to realize how much bigger Mio's appetite could be.

"Uh... we should only let her try free samples." Kotori whispered.

Shido paled at that, making Kotori sweat a bit as she quickly realized what his face was saying.

"Oh no, don't tell me..." She realized.

"There aren't any free samples." He told her.

Kotori groaned, turning to bump her head on the wall a few times, only for her to bump into a man wearing a celebratory outfit.

"Eh?" Kotori blinked, and looked up.

"Congratulations! For being the 100,000th person to pass me by today, you've won a coupon for a day of free food at the Festival Plaza!" The man said, handing her a coupon slip.

Kotori blinked as the man ran off, with none of the group noticing due to Shido and Origami looking at each other in confusion and Mio still distracted by food.

"Yeah... you know what, considering the problem we were about to face? I'm not gonna question it." Kotori decided.

Kotori tapped Mio's shoulder, getting her attention.

"We have this coupon for a day of free food in the Festival Plaza area, you hungry?" Kotori asked.

"Yes! I wanna try everything!" Mio exclaimed.

Shido chuckled and lead the group over, causing Mio to bounce by his side.

"Hey, exactly what is this Tenguu Fire you've been mentioning?" She asked.

"Well, it was an incident that happened 5 years ago. What happened was..." He answered, nearing her ear.

Shido began whispering the whole story.

Meanwhile, Princess could be seen on the rooftops as she scanned the area, seeing that where they were about to go was getting closer to an area of Tenguu City with little people.

The perfect area to strike, and limit if not outright prevent the interference of the DEM's Wizards.

"It won't be much longer." She promised.

She walked out of view, readying herself for what she had planned.

* * *

 _Scanning her eyes through a book at lightning speed, the girl absorbed all the information she could, with Mana folding some clothes as she watched in both shock and awe._

 _"I still can't believe it." Mana remarked._

 _"Hmm?" The girl blinked._

 _Mana chuckled, briefly turning her attention away from the laundry basket and unfolded clothes._

 _"You've only been with us for an hour or two, and yet because of all these books and what you saw or heard on all our electronics? You've gone from barely being able to say a single world to being completely fluent in Japanese." Mana explained._

 _The girl blushed, not sure how to properly react to that._

 _"Well, now that you're able to hold a full conversation, I think it's finally time I asked you about this." Mana decided._

 _"About... what?" The girl asked._

 _"Tell me, what are you?" Mana asked._

 _The girl blinked a few times in reply, one half of her understanding the basis of her question and the half other still partially confused._

 _"You look like a normal Human, eat the same way, needed to take a nap like how we need to sleep, and even had to use the bathroom... with some initial assistance." Mana asked, blushing at that last bit._

 _"Sorry..." She apologized._

 _Mana coughed a bit before continuing._

 _"At the same time, Shinji found you in a Spacequake's crater, your body is way too perfect with a bust line that I'm sure shouldn't be physically possible for your age and even most women in Asia among both those who do and don't try to make theirs grow large, with whitened pupils topping you off. So, just what are you if you're not a normal Human girl?" Mana asked._

 _There was a lot of things she was expecting this girl to be. Some kind of humanoid alien, an escaped government experiment, a being from another dimension... all she knew for sure is this girl couldn't be the same as her and Shinji._

 _Despite that... whatever she was, because Shinji chose to help her? Mana would do the same._

 _"And seriously, just how big is your chest?" Mana questioned, some jealousy in her voice._

 _The girl sweat dropped at that, so to avoid angering Mana in advance, decided to start by answering her first question._

 _"I think... an evolution is the right term?" She answered._

 _"Evolution?" Mana repeated._

 _"I... don't fully understand it myself, but a few months ago, I was... suddenly born within the region of Eurasia by a group of people, or maybe a pair of men with a woman? Regardless of who, I only know that... I was made by the actions of others." The girl explained._

 _Mana's eyes widened, knowing that's where the original Spacequake had gone off._

 _If that's where she had been born, then that would mean... somehow, she managed to cause it just by being born. That wasn't something anyone would be happy to know of unless they were truly heartless or loved death and destruction._

 _"The method behind I was born, from what I can tell, made me like any other Human, but with all this power. I didn't understand what I was or why I was born, but... when I saw them, I got this feeling telling me to run away. Was it fear, or did I sense a darker intent? I... don't know." The girl continued._

 _Mana was completely surprised by what she heard._

 _This girl, who was so mysterious in nature, was sitting right across from her... and saying even she wasn't sure what she was. She was in such shock, she failed to notice Shinji was looking from a distance._

 _"And... from what I've read, I think the size of my bust line is 115 cm, maybe?" The girl added._

 _Shinji suddenly covered his nose as it bled a bit, while Mana struggled to avoid losing her cool as a metaphorical arrow pointed at bust, saying: "74 cm bust line" on it. She instantly began to sweat over the thought she got Mana angry._

 _"OK then... what about the Spacequakes? Are those on purpose, or-" Mana asked, trying to distract herself from her own anger._

 _"No, I'm not even sure that was me, though if it where? Then it was likely an accident. I believe every time I was scared, I ended up teleporting somewhere else, and in the process... that led to my powers exploding, almost as if my own emotional state was involved." The girl answered._

 _"So, if I were to tickle you?" Mana asked._

 _The girl tilted her head, so to try and prove her theory, Mana began doing just that. The girl began laughing as tears began to form in her eyes, giving a slight pressure that Mana felt, scaring her into stopping._

 _But it was too late, and Shinji immediately grabbed Mana._

 _"Hit the deck!" He screamed._

 _Pushing her to the ground, the duo closed her eyes as a small white Spacequake exploded only as far as the room... but didn't do any damage._

 _"Wait... it was white and did nothing?" Shinji stated, noticing the remaining white glows._

 _"OK, guess it wasn't her then-" Mana remarked._

 _She briefly paused, looking at Shinji as he gave a nervous smile._

 _"U-Uh... I wasn't spying, just walked in here! I swear! This isn't-" Shinji replied in a panic._

 _"Sit down." Mana demanded._

 _"Yes ma'am..." Shinji obeyed, laying on the nearby chair._

 _Seeing the sight before her... the girl suddenly began to laugh, getting the attention of the two as she didn't seem to cause anything like when she was tickled._

 _"Wait, you're happy, but this time... then could it only be negative emotions that release them?" Mana wondered._

 _"And if not her, then why do the black ones we always see cause destruction compared to the one she just released?" Shinji mentioned._

 _He shrugged that thought away for the moment, looking at the girl._

 _"Guess we'll figure that out later. For now, I think it's settled." Shinji smiled._

 _"Eh?" The girl blinked._

 _Mana chuckled as she shook her head, then offered her hand to the girl._

 _"Would you like to stay with us? While we might not be much, I think we can do a pretty good job being something like a family to you." Mana offered._

 _The girl's eyes widened at that, and then... she felt tears leave her eyes, surprising Mana and herself._

 _"W... what's going on here? Why am I crying? Am I happy, or... am I sad?" She questioned._

 _"You've never been shown any kindness before, have you? Most people would cry even when happy if they felt such kindness they didn't think they'd ever find." Shinji explained, putting a hand on her shoulder._

 _The girl sniffled a bit, and looked at him._

 _"So, what do you want? Go ahead and say it. Let nothing hold you back or stop you, because you have a voice that's yours to speak with." Shinji encouraged her._

 _Feeling her mouth quiver, the girl found her voice._

 _"Thank you... thank you! I want to stay here, with both of you!" She cried loudly, a smile on her face._

 _Shinji and Mana smiled at that, then both remembered something they should have asked her long ago._

 _"Oh yeah, what's your name?" Mana asked._

 _"My... name?" The girl repeated._

 _She took a moment to think, but once she did, she made a sad expression._

 _"I... don't have a name." She admitted._

 _Shinji showed surprise, before standing up._

 _"Alright, then... I guess I'll just have to fix that by giving you one." Shinji decided._

 _The girl showed surprise at that._

 _"Your name is... Mio Takamiya." He decided, smiling at her._

 _"Wow, guess for once you actually thought of a good name for something." Mana chuckled._

 _"Really? Alright, looks like naming you today being the 30th was good." Shinji sighed in relief._

 _Hearing that, Mana instantly frowned._

 _"On second thought? I take it back. You're as bad at naming as always!" She retorted._

 _Shinji instantly paled, lowering her head in response._

 _"Mio..." She repeated._

 _She smiled, and began to giggle, catching the attention of the young couple as she gave a bright smile._

 _"Mio, my name is... Mio Takamiya." She stated, accepting her new name._

* * *

The trio of Shido, Kotori, and Origami all stared in surprise as they saw Mio gorging down on all the food she could get her hands on.

While the lack of gaining weight or fat was clear due to her own body composition she passed onto Humanity, it was her stomach capacity that was surprising all three members of her audience.

"All of this is so good!" She exclaimed, immediately resuming her feast.

"Shido... let's hope this is just 30 years of hunger talking, and not her usual appetite!" Kotori whispered hopefully, sweating a bit.

"I'll text my parents right now." Shido nodded.

Right as that was happening, Mio gasped as she saw an ice cream stand, making her eyes turn into stars.

"Ice Cream!" Mio exclaimed.

Rushing over to the stand, she ordered eight of the largest size of Vanilla she could get. Luckily, that was when Shido got a text, and he read it.

"According to mom and dad, she does regularly eat a lot, but it's not that different from a normal person with a high-metabolism. She should be done soon enough, especially if we get her ice cream." Shido sighed in relief, sharing the text.

"I think that's what Mio just rushed to get." Origami said, pointing to her.

Everyone looked to see her enjoying the two cones of super-sized vanilla ice cream in her hands, sighing happily as she savored them.

"Let me guess, that's your favorite food?" Kotori chuckled.

"Yeah, any Ice Cream that's Vanilla flavored is like eating a delicious slice of heaven." Mio replied, her voice more relaxed than usual.

"That explains why you like vanilla milk." Shido realized.

From a nearby corner of the buildings, the sight of Princess glaring at the group was seen, having changed into casual clothing so she could follow with less issues.

Origami suddenly felt a chill from her glare, making her look around.

"Mio, do you want to see my favorite place in the city?" Shido asked.

"Sure, where is it?" Mio inquired.

"It's a surprise." He smiled, closing an eye for emphasis.

The First Spirit blinked at that.

Taking her hand, he pulled her somewhere, getting Kotori's attention.

"Hey, wait up!" Kotori shouted before grabbing Origami by the wrist.

"W-Wait, Kotori!" Origami panicked.

Looking at the direction they were going, Princess soon realized they were heading towards the area she was hoping they'd go.

"Perfect." She stated.

Tohka quickly vanished from view, finally ready to make her move.

* * *

Mio looked at the entire city from the spot that Shido had taken her.

It was just a simple view point, but one that showed so much of Tenguu City all at once, just like an observatory would show people the stars in the night sky.

"Whoa..." Mio breathed.

"I know, pretty amazing, right?" Shido smiled.

"Yeah, a whole viewpoint of the city." Mio nodded.

"And that's why we call it Tenguu Viewpoint." He replied.

Shido turned to her in response.

"This place is special to me, because it reminds me of something I think most of us hope for... at least, I hope we will one day." Shido stated.

Mio looked at him in confusion, right as Kotori and a dazed Origami caught up.

"Even after the last 30 years, we still don't understand the world as it's changed now. When I stand up here and see all of Tengu City? I'd like to think this is similar to those who want to look past the horizon, to see something more than what we often see right in front of us." Shido explained.

"There's so much to see, and even more you don't know, but for some? That's what makes it so exciting... am I right?" Mio realized.

Shido chuckled a bit, rubbing his head.

"I... I lost 30 years, and now nothing is the same as I remember it, with both with the people I knew and the world I lived in." Mio mentioned.

"Does that scare you?" Shido asked.

"Maybe a little, but..." Mio admitted.

Looking at Shido, she remembered when Shinji first offered his hand to her that fateful day, making her smile.

"I'm not alone, and that's enough for me to be brave." She stated.

Kotori watched the sight with a sigh.

"Kotori?" Origami said, looking at her.

"I-It's nothing..." Kotori quietly replied, struggling to hide how she felt.

Origami stared at her.

"You love him too, don't you?" She asked.

Kotori suddenly blushed at that, looking at Origami like she grew a second head.

"I-I-I... wait, you love him?" Kotori questioned.

"How could I not, after what he gave me on the day we met? What he protected for me?" Origami replied.

Kotori didn't understand a word of what she said, but after what she heard...

"OK, maybe... I might have some feelings for him. We've been like siblings, grew up together... maybe I have wanted something more all this time, and never said anything. But now that I see this... I think it's too late." Kotori admitted sadly.

"What do you mean too late? There's no law against having more than one lover, so why don't-" Origami tried to say.

"Don't give me that excuse!" Kotori screamed.

Origami whimpered at that, making the redhead look guilty at her outburst. She turned away as she began to cry.

"I'm sorry, but... you realize it, don't you? Even if the Day of the Black Earth removed the ban on Polygamy and Polyamory from the world... most people still only find love in a single partner. Even if that's an option, how do I know Shido will be OK with it? What if I don't want to share him?" Kotori sniffled.

Origami's eyes briefly widened before she lowered her head slightly. The things that Kotori had just said were very true, a fact she was all too aware of.

Just because the world had changed and altered a few laws because of it, that didn't mean such freedoms were suddenly common place. There truly was the real chance that Shido wasn't someone who'd find more than one lover, so if he was truly forming something with Mio?

They may have already lost the game of love.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up... please forgive me." Origami apologized, having a guilty look on her face.

"No, don't be... it isn't anyone's fault who we fall in love with." Kotori replied.

As that was happening, neither Shido or Mio noticed the two had arrived, being lost in the sunset before them.

"So, how long have the two been showing chemistry?" Origami inquired.

"Less than a day. They literally just met each other." Kotori answered.

Origami widened her eyes as Kotori's answer, blinking a few times before slapping her cheeks to verify she wasn't mishearing things or hallucinating.

"I'm not kidding. Maybe they don't notice their chemistry, but some people fall in love easier than others. Don't question it." Kotori waved in response.

She felt her eye twitching at the redhead's comments, unsure of how she should reply.

"Hey, uh... Shido?" Mio asked.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"Would it be alright, if I... held your hand?" Mio wondered, blushing a bit.

Shido looked at her before smiling.

"Sure." He replied.

Mio prepared to stretch out her hand, but then...

"Disgusting... I can't watch this any longer!"

 **[** **Date A Live II: Hanten Tohka** **]**

This voice caught the attention of everyone, wondering where the voice came from... right before Mio noticed there was something odd floating in the sky.

"What the?" She gasped.

It was a black mass, and it soon moved wildly, causing Mio's eyes to widen as she recognized it.

 **"Nehemoth!"**

A huge burst of energy suddenly knocked Kotori and Origami to the side, being struck by the recoil of Princess changing into her Astral Dress. Once it was formed, she stomped the ground, making her Demon's throne appear.

 **"Nahemah: Paverschlev!"**

Grabbing her blade, she pulled the throne up, making its shard break apart and immediately summon its ultimate form. Once that was done, the rampaging Spirit jumped into the sky.

"What's going on here?" Shido asked.

"That's... Maryoku..." Mio breathed.

Hearing what she said, Shido turned to see the horrified look on her face.

"Why is it showing up again? I thought... that I destroyed all of it." Mio questioned, her breaths becoming audible.

Shido hugged her, trying to help her calm down.

"You!"

At that moment, both of them and the recovering Kotori and Origami looked up to see something unexpected. However, it was even worse for Mio, who looked like she was seeing a living nightmare.

"All my life, I've been hunted and treated as some kind of monster... yet you're treated like anyone else, despite what the both of us are? I... can't... stand it!" Princess seethed.

"Who are you, and what do you want!?" Shido demanded, sweating a bit.

His eyes suddenly widened as a sphere of energy shot past him, instantly exploding in a small explosion that shred an entire section of the viewpoint off the cliff, sending it towards the ground.

"My name is Tohka Yatogami, and if you insult me again? I'll make you'll die slow and painfully instead of instantly. As for what I am, you _know_ that already." Tohka answered, her eyes burning with rage.

Shido was confused by that, and felt Mio's panic get even worse as she began shaking in his arms.

"T-This can't be..." Mio stuttered.

"Mio?" Shido asked worriedly.

"How can there be another Spirit in this world? The way I was born... there's no way it could have been done again, I should be the only one!" Mio exclaimed, fear welling up inside of her.

Tohka gritted her teeth before she rose up her Demon with a loud scream.

"Now you have the arrogance to lie to me? That's it, you no longer deserve to simply suffer for what you've done..." Tohka roared, raising Paverschlev into the air.

A huge surge of Maryoku flared out from her weapon.

" **YOU MUST DIE!** "

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

Swinging it down, the entire viewpoint was absorbed in a huge explosion that threw everyone through the air. While this was happening, Origami didn't scream like the others, feeling her eyes dilate as something in her body reacted.

"Mom... dad..." She breathed.

* * *

 _Rushing through the burning streets of Tenguu City, a young Origami, who was practically unchanged in appearance aside from having short hair, rushed towards the hospital._

 _"Mama? Papa?" She exclaimed._

 _Finally coming into the area of the hospital, she saw the medical staff doing their best to evacuate everyone, with the fire department doing their best to keep the flames away._

 _While they were loading people out through the doors, Origami smiled as she saw her parents among them, having since regained consciousness._

 _"Mama! Papa!" She cheered, rushing towards them._

 _"Origami?" Her father called out, seeing her._

 _Unfortunately, right as she chose to run towards them? She failed to notice as the gasoline pipe of a nearby building suddenly broke off. The moment it did, it made direct contact with the fiery blaze encompassing all of Nankou._

 _*"BOOM!"*_

 _The flames exploded towards her before she could even react, completely swallowing her in the blaze._

 _"ORIGAMI!" Her mother screamed._

 _Within the flames, the sight of Origami's lifeless body could be seen, right as a white sphere phased into her without anyone's notice._

* * *

As everyone landed on the ground, Origami felt her entire body start to shake. It was as if her mind was a living contradiction.

"I... I was... I should be... am I...?" Origami muttered.

Shido managed to get up, looking at Mio, who managed to avoid getting hurt, already looking towards him.

"Shido... weren't Kotori and Origami following us?" Mio recalled, a pale expression of fear on her face.

"They were... oh no!" Shido gasped.

Looking around, he found Kotori trapped under some rubble, with heavy coughing from the dust being the worst she went through.

"Are you OK?" Shido asked.

"Yeah, just got the wind knocked out of me." Kotori reassured him.

Managing to push the debris off of her, Kotori got back on her feet... right in time for everyone to hear Origami scream. While she didn't seem to be in pain, she was clawing at her face as if something was burning her from within.

 **[** **Date A Live II: Tohka's Breakdown** **]**

"Origami, what's wrong!?" Shido asked worriedly.

Tohka briefly glanced at Origami before quickly ignoring her, readying herself to use Paverschlev once again.

"I won't miss this time, so... it's time to-" Tohka promised.

Origami's screams soon became outright distorted, and then a massive amount of Maryoku escaped her body! The sight was enough that even Tohka stopped due to recognizing the familiar power they had.

"Origami!?" Kotori panicked.

"No way, this is... it can't be true!" Mio gasped, feeling her eyes shake.

* * *

Within the main area of DEM Industries, alarms were blaring off, getting everyone's attention as people either began panicking or trying to figure things out.

"What's going on, what's happening!?" Elliot questioned.

"Sir Woodman, we aren't sure how, but Princess arrived without causing a Spacequake!" Nakatsugawa responded.

"She did what!?" Ellen exclaimed.

Westcott sweated a bit, thinking of what they should do next, when suddenly...

 **"EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! A SPACEQUAKE OF AN UNKNOWN LEVEL AS BEEN DETECTED! EVERY CITIZEN, HEAD TO THE DEEPEST LEVEL OF THE SHELTERS! I REPEAT!"**

This immediately caught the DEM's attention, right as the signs of another Spirit appeared on Shiizaki's screens.

"Sir Westcott, we just got readings that Angel has been detected, and..." She warned, shaking like a chihuahua.

"And what?" He asked, fearful of the answer.

She turned around, revealing her results to her fellow analysts before speaking the horrible truth to everyone.

"We have a Category-E!" Shiizaki announced.

Everyone gasped in horror, but the bad news didn't stop there as Kawagoe noticed something.

"Oh no!" He shouted.

"What now!?" Ellen demanded.

"Mio's readings are in the same area, she's seeing this as we speak!" Kawagoe revealed.

This immediately made the three founders gasp.

However, it was Ellen's reaction that was truly emphasized, lowering her head as she fully recalled the words Tohka had said the other day.

"Princess... she did know about Mio, she was following her..." She realized.

"Then does that mean... she's drawing the Spirits towards her?" Elliot questioned.

A bead of sweat slid down Westcott's fate.

 _"Beware, or one day... Tree of Life will become the Tree of Death." A female voice echoed._

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

Tightening his fist, it became clear what this was a sign of.

* * *

Origami's body floated into the air, with the Maryoku swirling out of her before taking the form of a hand, and gripping her tight. Upon seeing the sight, Tohka's eyes widened as she remembered.

"Sephira's... Inversion..." She breathed.

 **"Thaumiel."**

The power exploded out, briefly taking the imagery of a tree from where it spread, until it dispersed itself entirely. Within the middle, the sight of Origami stood, now wearing a black wedding veil on her head, a black bow where her hair clips had been, a black choker with a bird design with a similar bow, and... well, the best way anyone could describe it was bikini armor/armored bra that only covered the bare minimum.

Black gloves stretched from her hands to halfway up to her elbow, with a dark sarong wrapped around her, and only a brief glance of what might have been a bikini bottom/underwear, held together by some demonic black clipping. Topping it all off was a pair of black stockings, and a halo-shaped crown made from unconnected black pillars with small white sections that floated over her head.

"W-What just happened to Origami?" Kotori asked.

"Uh... Mio, do you have any ideas?" Shido asked.

"This can't be... she's also a Spirit, but how!?" Mio replied, shaking even more.

Hearing her say that, both Shido and Kotori went white in horror.

At that moment, Origami's sights suddenly aimed at Tohka, looking to be in a trance as she held her hand out.

 **"Satan."**

At that moment, the pillars making her halo crown shot off before standing upright as they rotated around her, growing until they were as tall as Origami was. With their new size set, they positioned themselves like Devil wings.

Moving her hands, Origami's face suddenly shifted into one of anger as she released a loud scream.

Tohka quickly saw the pillars aim at her, charging Maryoku at the tips before they became spheres of dark light. Thrusting her hands forward, the gathered energy fired itself as a series of beams.

"Like this attack could stop me!" She shouted.

Moving out of the way, Tohka zoomed at Origami and swung her sword at her... only for the awakened Spirit to teleport out of the way.

"What's this!?" She exclaimed.

Turning around, Tohka noticed her reappear behind her and unleash more beams of dark light from her Demon.

"Quick, we have to run!" Mio shouted.

All of them ran away, knowing by Tohka's previous actions and the attacks that Origami was now unleashing, that none of them would be safe if they stayed here.

While they were running, Kotori heard something strange, making her stop to look and gasp as she noticed the support beam from a nearby building was about to fall where Shido and Mio were currently sitting at.

"Guys, look out!" She screamed.

Jumping ahead, Kotori pushed the two forward, managing to move them out of the way just in time... at the cost of being put into the very spot where it would land.

"Kotori, no!" Shido screamed.

She froze as she saw the gap between the steel beam and herself vanish.

* * *

 **Well, that's a scary cliffhanger I left you all on, but it was necessary to get Origami and Kotori's natures as Spirits out into the open... well, Kotori's hasn't actually happened just yet, but considering what her powers are? I don't think anyone will be surprised by what'll happen around the beginning of next chapter. Either way, our heroes are not in a good position right now... so it's time for them to make a miracle!**

 **As you can probably tell by Origami's flashback? Yeah, she actually did die, because I don't think even a normal human could survive a gas explosion at point blank range, if not outright disintegrate their bodies. *shivers* Either way, this is why she's a Spirit, and the reason behind her Inversion? She didn't even know she died because it happened to fast for her Human senses to register, causing that reminder to be enough for the Maryoku to take over.**

 **For the Seirei Abilities of Kotori and Origami, I decided to go with weakened versions of their powers as Spirits, namely the ones that aren't completely connected to their elements. While teleporting can be related to light, for Origami to do it by instinct... not so much. As for Kotori's healing powers, while flames can sear a wound close, they don't work at the level of regenerating.**

 **Now that we've finally got Shido and his group involved in the action, the next chapter will deal more with the fallout of this, as it won't be until things with Tohka are settled before we get any further than this. Ultimately, even if her role's not as vital to this story? She's ultimately the one that helps move it forward, and therefore, needs to be rescued before anything else. That, and there's an in-story reason for it that I can't talk about just yet.**

 **Finally, before we end today's chapter? I'd like suggestions for what every Spirit's favorite food should be. The only Spirits with known favorite foods in DAL are Tohka with her Kinako Bread, Yoshino with Oyakodon, and Kotori with her signature Chupa Chups lollipops. If anyone has a suggestion (other than Mio, as I already decided on hers being vanilla ice cream, which you saw in today's chapter), don't be afraid to share it.**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	4. Flames of Truth

**This chapter took a while, as while I already knew the direction I wanted to go, a few scenes in-between are what took me a while to figure out a few details for how the events within the chapter should happen. The layout I had set mostly had Shido, Mio, and Tohka in mind, so it was mostly along the lines of knowing when to involve Kotori, Origami, and any other characters into everything that.**

 **Anyways, this chapter is the one that truly sets in the story's name beyond the pun aspect, as this is where Shido gains the "mantle" that the summary mentions and becomes the Spiritual Successor in question. How this title applies to this story will be one of the more important areas of the story line, so I hope you'll enjoy how it starts up in this chapter's events :)**

 **Before we begin today's chapter, you might remember how I asked for suggestions on the favorite foods for the Spirits aside from Tohka, Yoshino, Kotori, and Mio, who already have their canon favorites and who I chose Vanilla Ice Cream for respectively. Even though I didn't get many suggestions, I want to thank everyone for the few I did receive, since they did help me choose a few. These are the chosen favorites for everyone.**

 **Origami - Spaghetti  
Nia - Cheeseburgers  
Kurumi - Borscht  
Mukuro - Curry & Rice  
Natsumi - Pizza  
Kaguya/Yuzuru - Takoyaki  
Miku - Pudding  
Rinne - Crepes  
Mayuri - Donuts  
Maria - Hot Dogs  
Marina - Sushi**

 **Well, that's all the important stuff for today, so let's get this chapter started!**

* * *

 **[Chapter 4 - Flames of Truth]**

 _A young Kotori was seen crying as flames surrounded her, fear rendering her completely immobile as the roars caused by the magical heat that was burning across the neighborhood._

 _"Kotori!"_

 _"Huh?" Kotori's tears briefly stopped._

 _Unsure if she actually heard what she just did, she waited to see if it repeated itself, and then..._

 _"Kotori, where are you!?" Shido shouted again._

 _"Shido?" She sniffled._

 _He ran across the area with a panicked look on his face, trying to find where she was._

 _"Kotori!" He shouted a third time._

 _"Shido!" Kotori responded._

 _Hearing her voice, he turned to see where she was and smiled before rushing towards her, knowing she must have been too terrified to move on her own._

 _"Don't worry Kotori, I'm here!" He reassured her._

 _Unfortunately, as he got closer to where she was, Kotori heard a sudden creak... followed by the snap of a pillar connected to the nearby building._

 _She gasped upon seeing it before immediately rushed at her best friend._

 _"Shido, look out!" Kotori screamed._

 _He stopped for a moment as his eyes finally noticed the falling pillar, which was coming in too fast for him to evade._

 _Right before it hit, Kotori jumped right in front of him, faster than his mind was able to register, before closing her eyes in an expectant manner. Seconds after, the pillar smashed onto Kotori's head, causing her eyes to open back up... only in a lifeless manner._

 _"Kotori-" Shido screamed._

 _The force had knocked him over so fast, his head hit the ground, and he suddenly lost consciousness. The pillar itself didn't harm him any further due to Kotori's body absorbing the rest of its impact._

 _As they laid there, a red light suddenly flew into Kotori, making her briefly gasp as life returning to her eyes. That was the last thing her mind registered before blacking out again, right as an ambulance drove by._

 _"We have two injured children here, get them to a hospital this instant!" A nurse exclaimed._

* * *

 _In the hospital that most of the Tenguu Fire victims were held, the sight of Kotori and Origami recovering on medical beds could be seen. While the recently reborn Light Spirit was still unconscious and wrapped in numerous bandages, Kotori didn't have a scratch._

 _After a few more seconds, Kotori's eyes shook before she woke up and got back on her feet. The doctors turned in shock, noticing she didn't seem to be weak in the slightest._

 _"Excuse me, do you feel anything wrong with your body?" A male Doctor asked._

 _"Huh? No, I feel fine." Kotori answered._

 _This confused many Doctors, so one of the Nurses checked their monitoring feed's memory to try and see what could have happened. Sure enough, the sight of Kotori's body healing itself was noticed._

 _"She has a Seirei Ability that let her body heal itself... amazing." He remarked._

 _A door opened up, revealing Kotori's parents with a DEM employee that had brought them over. Seeing Kotori standing without injuries, after having been told she had been injured in the fire, Haruko immediately rushed to hug her._

 _"Kotori, are you OK?" She asked._

 _"Yeah, but... why am I in a hospital? Wasn't I in the park?" Kotori asked, holding her head._

 _The first doctor she saw kneeled to her._

 _"Listen close, because... it might be hard to understand what I'm telling you. There was a fire and you were caught in it. That's why you're here." He explained._

 _"A fire? But if that's true, why can't I remember it?" She asked, feeling confused._

 _"You suffered a blow to the head, so the most likely explanation is the force of the impact made you lose your memories of the last few hours." A nurse explained, pointing to where Kotori was holding her head._

 _Kotori looked at her hand, struggling to recall the last thing she saw._

 _"I last remember... finding a red sphere?" She said with uncertainty._

* * *

Shido and Mio both stared in horror as they saw the steel beam about to crush Kotori. The redhead herself feeling her flash of lost memories come to an end.

"Kotori!" Shido screamed.

"No... don't let this... don't let this really be the end for me!" She screamed.

Right as she said that, the beam landed on her... only for it to start burning.

Both her friends looked in surprise.

"Oh, my god... are you freaking kidding me!?" Mio demanded, realizing what was happening.

With a loud scream, Kotori successfully pushed the pillar off her body, soon surprising herself.

"I'm... still alive?" She realized.

"Kotori!" Shido screamed.

The redheaded teen suddenly blushed as Shido hugged her, only for her to scream.

"Shido, I'm not uninjured!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry!" He apologized, backing off from her.

Right as he did, Shido gasped before he and Mio saw something. Kotori was confused until she looked towards her shredded clothes, bruises, and few cuts... making her eyes widened.

Oddly colored flames were burning over her wounded body, yet they were healing her instead of harming her.

"W-What's happening? My healing powers have never done anything like this before!" Kotori asked fearfully.

'Those flames, they're...!' Mio realized.

Tohka screamed as she immediately used the trio's dropped guards to charge at them, getting their attention as they remembered the danger they were in. At the same time, Origami teleported in front of her path, aiming her Demon at her once again.

"You're not stopping me this time!" Tohka shouted.

She charged faster before spinning in midair, empowering her attack as she slashed at Origami, forcing her to teleport. Immediately after, she used the rotation to help herself jump into the air, charging power around her Demon.

 **"Paverschlev!"**

Swinging her blade down, a huge energy wave shot forward... right as Origami reappeared!

Origami gasped before the attack struck her heard, this time being unable to dodge it and getting struck head on. Shido stared in horror as the overwhelming energy continued hitting her until she disappeared.

"No!" Shido screamed, thinking she was dead.

"Shut up!" Tohka screamed, glaring his way.

Before either Mio or Kotori could properly react, Tohka reappeared on the ground and immediately held out her finger, charging a small energy sphere at the Human boy that had irked her.

Turning to see the attack target him... it was too late.

"Now die." He stated, focusing her glare at his form.

She immediately fired off the sphere at Shido's body, Mio and Kotori heard him scream as it immediately enveloped his entire body.

"SHIDO!" Kotori screamed.

The blast ended, leaving Shido with a slightly steaming body that just stood in place... before falling on his back, his expression frozen to mark the horrible truth of what the attack had done to him.

"No... it can't be..." Mio realized, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

Covering the sides of her head with her hands, Mio immediately released a deafening scream from her lungs that forced Kotori and Tohka to briefly cover their ears, shedding all the tears she held within her eyes at that very moment.

"Finally, that annoying Human has been silenced." Tohka stated, completely indifferent to her actions.

At the sight of the man she loved no longer breathing life, Kotori suddenly began to release an angry growl, feeling something inside of her begin to well up.

"Now, you're next." Tohka said to Mio.

Raising her Demon, which had since reverted back into Nahemah, she prepared to end the two Spirits' lives.

"How dare you..." Kotori growled.

"Don't test me right-" Tohka warned.

She immediately went silent as Kotori slugged her in the face, knocking her into a nearby building. As she got back up, Tohka looked at Kotori, showing slight surprise as her body began to burn with actual fire.

 **[** **High School DxD HERO: Hero** **]**

"How dare you kill him... my best friend... my soul mate..." Kotori said quietly.

"Because he's why she and I aren't the same." Tohka answered, not threatened by her anger.

She gritted her teeth as her eyes enlarged themselves.

"How dare you take his life for such a petty reason... I'll never forgive you for this!" Kotori screamed.

At that moment, a surge of red Reiryoku exploded from her body.

Mio's crying stopped for a moment as she looked at the sight, recognizing the power as she felt its familiar aura... making her gasp as she realized why she recognized it.

"What!?" Tohka loudly shouted.

"Kotori... I don't believe it..." Mio breathed as she kept watching.

Raising a hand up, Kotori announced two simple words.

 **"Elohim Gibor!"**

* * *

As everyone inside of DEM's HQ was nervous over the situation that had managed to happen beyond their control... they were immediately alerted to the readings of another Spirit being detected.

"Another Spirit at a time like this? Can this get any worse!?" Elliot questioned, sweating in worry.

"Wait, this Spirit's readings..." Mikimoto noticed.

Taking a closer look, the readings that came up showed the Spirit in question was the only one that could make them feel better.

"No, because it's only getting better from here! These are Salamandra's readings we've detected!" He stated, smiling a bit.

"Wait, Salamdandra? But that would mean it's..." Ellen gasped.

Kotori's picture appeared on screen at that moment, causing everyone to cheer.

"We have hope. However, the question we have to ask now is will she be enough against two Spirits with empowered by Maryoku?" Westcott questioned.

Shiizaki soon noticed something.

"Actually, it's only Princess, it looks like Angel just became Lost." She mentioned.

"Whoa... guess Princess and Angel didn't like each other." Ellen remarked.

Elliot chuckled a bit at that.

* * *

The flames surrounding Kotori soon dispelled, revealing her in a new outfit.

Her attire was now a white kimono with gold trims at the ends that exposed a large portion of her cleavage, with sleeves reaching up to just slightly before her elbows and had controlled flames burning on them, wrapped with a pink sash and a black 'belt' wrapped around her, and finally ending with a translucent red-white streamer-like scarf wrapped around her arms.

Even her ribbons were now different, having altered their wrapping slightly to not only be tied around her hair... but a pair of white horns that gave Kotori the appearance of a Demon, or at least a humanoid Dragon.

"She already knew how to call her Astral Dress?" Tohka questioned, feeling her eyes shake in surprise.

Kotori opened her eyes, gasping as she finally noticed herself in her new outfit despite how she instinctively summoned it by pure reflex. She was sure she should be freaking out, but somehow? It was natural enough to her that she felt calm.

"What happened to me? Why am I wearing this?" She questioned.

"I knew it, Kotori... you're a Spirit!" Mio answered, releasing a shout of surprise.

The redheaded Spirit turned to Mio.

"Wait, I'm a what!?" Kotori exclaimed in surprise, making her body release a few flames.

Mio wasn't sure how to explain it, so...

"I don't know why, but you're a Spirit, which means right now... you're the only one that can stop her from doing any more damage! Just trust yourself and your powers will answer your wishes!" She answered, deciding to trust her gut.

"Well... alright, guess you would be the expert." Kotori responded, nodding her head.

"Uh... alright, if you say so!" Kotori responded.

Looking at Tohka as she readied Nahemah once more, she closed her eyes as if to search for something.

'Whatever gave me this power... please, tell me what they are and how to use them! My friends need me and I'm the only one who can save them!' Kotori wished, trying to force anything she could to the surface.

 _ **"Camael..."**_

Kotori showed surprise at that one word that just sounded, wondering if this was her body's way of answering her.

'Was that your answer? Please, if it was, then say it again!'

 _ **"Use it, the Flaming Angel of Severity... use Camael!"**_

Hearing the sound of the same word a second time, Kotori accepted the response as her answer before taking a deep breath.

"Alright, here goes nothing." She whispered to herself.

Right as she prepared to say that one word, Tohka finally decided to treat her like a threat and rushed at her before she could manifest any of her powers as a Spirit.

"You will fall like the one before you did!" She screamed.

 **"Camael!"**

At that moment, a burst of flame erupted form the ground, revealing the handle of something breaching from it. Nahemah struck it before the recoil of contact threw Tohka back.

'No, I was too late!' Tohka panicked, staring at Kotori's form.

"Whoa... what is this?" Kotori breathed in awe.

Grabbing the handle, Kotori felt her mind pulse as a bunch of knowledge flew into her head, making her give a focused expression as she pulled out the weapon within the flames.

Mio looked in awe at the red axe with a black hilt, unleashing steam as it emitted intense heat.

"That's your Angel, it's the absolute sword that fights back against what threatens you, just as your Astral Dress is the absolute shield that protects you from harm!" Mio explained, picking up Shido's dead body.

Kotori looked at it, giving a toothy grin as she felt confidence well into her being.

"Alright, time for you to pay!" Kotori exclaimed.

"Useless, you won't have any more luck against me than the last Spirit that got in my way." Tohka retorted.

"Says the overconfident Spirit that didn't see me coming!" Kotori countered.

Tohka rushed at her and swung her Demon with all of her might, prompting Kotori to do the same with her Angel as their weapons collided.

Despite she had more power, against Kotori's Camael... Tohka's Nahemah was immediately overpowered in mere seconds after making contact!

"What!?" She exclaimed.

"You may have a big sword, but my axe is even bigger! Not to mention it told me it's the Angel of Severity!" Kotori smirked, showing her teeth.

Tohka screamed as Kotori's attack won through, slamming her in the chest with the force of a wrecking ball.

'Impossible... she overpowered me!' Tohka though.

The Inverted Spirit smashed through a few buildings, which all began to tilt from the force of her impact before collapsing over her.

"Whoa... that seemed easier than I-" Kotori replied in surprise.

The Flame Spirit's words were immediately cut off as a wave of energy slammed her, making her eyes nearly bug out. She fell back and crashed onto the ground without any signs of movement.

"I was careless to think my Demon wouldn't have some kind of resistance after taking out that Spirit with the white hair. However, as long as I don't directly clash with you, all of your efforts against me will be useless." Tohka stated, glaring at her.

Kotori's Astral Dress began burning to repair the damage done to it as the same happened to Kotori's wounds, surprising Tohka as she got back on her feet like she was never even attacked.

"Wait, that's not a healing ability... it's a regenerative ability!" Tohka exclaimed.

"Sorry, but I don't think that I heard you that time. Mind repeating what you said?" Kotori retorted, a smug smile on her face.

Tohka scowled at her, immediately rushing forward.

"Take this!" Kotori screamed.

She slammed Camael onto the ground, splitting it apart as a wall of flames erupted from the cracks. Tohka simply crashed into it without being impeded whatsoever.

'Uh oh...' Kotori gulped.

"You're weak!" Tohka shouted.

Kotori was launched through the sky, slamming into the wall of a building.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

Mio stared at Kotori while she moved Shido's dead body to a safer location, giving a panicked sweat as she noticed her losing.

She knew that Kotori was the weaker of the two due to a lack of experience using her powers, but even so, part of her was still sure Kotori would have at least been able to put up a better fight against Tohka than this.

Looking at the dead form of the boy she had just met, tears hit his face as she let herself cry.

"This is... this is all my fault! If you hadn't found me, you'd still be alive and Kotori wouldn't be risking her life like this!" Mio apologized, her voice shaking.

She placed her forehead on top of Shido's, caressing his cheek with her hand as her apology to him.

"Please, forgive me..." She begged.

A tear fell from her eye, falling into Shido's open mouth... causing it to start glowing. This light caught Mio's attention as she looked at him.

"Huh?" Tohka blinked, sensing this development.

Watching his glowing form, the glow faded until finally, Mio felt a sudden warmness return to him... right as he coughed. Upon hearing that, her eyes widened a bit.

"Shido?" She breathed.

Mio immediately placed her head over his chest, and...

*"BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP!"*

Her eyes began tearing up again as she heard that sound, unsure of how she managed to do it... she just caused a miracle!

"Shido... you're alive!" Mio cheered, hugging his unconscious form.

"What did you say!?" Tohka screamed, managing to hear her.

Mio paled as she realized how loud she had been, right as the angry Spirit charged at her once again, making Mio close her eyes hug Shido tightly in a futile attempt to protect him... only for her to open them as a sudden pulse shoot through her body.

The sight of various images raced through her mind, with a few key things she could make out.

She first saw Westcott, Ellen, and Elliot working together to cast a spell in a familiar location. Following that, she saw the sight of Reine being enveloped by what seemed like Reiryoku in her eyes. Lastly, the sight of violet energy being unleashed by someone that looked like Tohka if she was a brunette.

'What... is this?' She wondered, unable to understand the last two images.

Kotori struggled to get up, prompting Mio to look at her... and release a loud scream.

 **[** **My Hero Academia: You Say Run** **]**

Upon hearing this scream, Kotori immediately had her eyes widen as she felt something in her respond to it.

'Mio can't protect herself, yet she's keeping Shido safe... I can't just let myself lay here without doing a thing!' Kotori thought, finally getting herself to move.

"You have nowhere left to run, it's over now!" Tohka shouted.

'It isn't over, you won't hurt Shido any further... you won't hurt Mio... and I won't let you keep hurting me!' She thought, gritting her teeth.

A huge fire began to burn around her, melting the entire debris away.

"Don't you dare... keep hurting... my friends!" Kotori screamed, flames exploded out of her body.

Tohka suddenly felt herself get blinded by the intense heat, giving Kotori the chance to teleport in front of Tohka's path. By the time Tohka regained her awareness, she had already stumbled, giving Kotori the chance to swing Camael into her gut.

Skidding back a bit, Tohka held her stomach as she realized how much stronger that attack had been than her last one.

'What the hell? Is she getting strong just because she's even angrier than before!?' She questioned, coughing a bit.

Her answer was soon given as parts of her Astral Dress shattered, making her gasp at the delayed reaction, immediately making her hold Nahemah with both hands. Kotori immediately used this chance to her advance, holding her Angel into the air.

 **"Camael: Megiddo!"**

Camael's form immediately contracted slightly before expanding, transforming itself into a cannon that began swallowing all the nearby heat, and turning it into fire as it did. The heat was so intense that Tohka felt her vision blurring.

'She really is getting stronger from her anger!' Tohka realized.

"All of this fire, it's burning through me... representing the flames of my determination, my resolve, and my soul! All of which are to protect the people I care for, the people you threatened! I won't let you hurt them or anyone else ever again!" Kotori screamed, her eyes glowing as her power reached its fullest.

"Impudent fool!" Tohka screamed back, her eyes doing the same as her vision was restored.

Kotori screamed as she charged all the fire she could, while Tohka gathered all her Maryoku at the tip Nahemah's blade before rushed at her with all her speed. Kotori soon aimed the cannon directly at the Tohka's charging form.

"Burn them all to ashes, do it Camael!" Kotori shouted.

She unleashed the fiery beam from her Angel, which immediately hit Tohka with all of its force, locking her and her attack into a stalemate. After a few seconds, she held out her hand to try and hold her ground.

"No, I can't... lose to here... lost to someone... like you!" She shouted, feeling panic for the first time in a long time.

"Burn brighter Camael, to the very fullest... burn like the sun!" Kotori screamed at her loudest, pushing beyond her limits.

The entire area went red, the force hitting Tohka as felt herself being pushed back.

 **"GO!"**

At that moment, the flames exploded out as it finally overpowered Tohka's incredibly strength, making her eyes widen before they completely consumed her.

She was flung through the air as her Astral Dress was completely incinerated, leaving her in the nightgown from the realm she slept in as Kotori's fire kept pushing forward, smashing her through the wreckage of buildings until they finally burnt out.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

"I... I... I..." Kotori breathed, looking at her.

Just to prove she was truly defeated, the sight of Tohka lying unconscious at the ruins of Tenguu Viewpoint could be seen, immediately falling forward as Nahemah shattered apart. The Maryoku flooded out of her body before fading into the air, showing her hair losing its white gradient.

"I... did it... I won." Kotori panted, giving a light smile as she rose a hand up.

Finally hitting her limit, Kotori fell onto her back, her Astral Dress doing the same as Tohka, only it was a Yukata instead of a ballgown.

"Kotori... you did great." Mio smiled, feeling herself blacking out.

She soon collapsed herself, though the reason wasn't as clear as the other three scattered across the battlefield as Ellen flew onto the scene.

* * *

In a strange area full of white light, having the same lines from Tohka's equivalent realm in a pale gold color, Origami was seen struggling to walk across the area. After trying to stay standing for a bit, she soon fell to the side.

Her Astral Dress vanished, leaving a shirt-like outfit with a longer back area in its place, being its equivalent to Tohka and Kotori's full light outfits.

"Shido..." She breathed.

Origami felt her eyes close at that moment, falling into the deep lull of sleep.

* * *

Various beeping noises could be heard, causing Shido to grunt a bit as he slowly regained consciousness, only for a sudden feeling of light hitting his eyes forcing him to open them.

Seeing he was awake, the blonde girl standing over him turned it off.

"Good, looks like the machines weren't having any errors when your pulse returned. Thank goodness for whatever Mio pulled." She remarked.

"Huh? Wait, who are you and where am I?" Shido asked, realizing he was inside some kind of metal room.

The blonde spun the small light she held, tossing it into a bin behind her with incredible accuracy before moving in front of Shido to answer him.

"Mildred Fujimura, a 2nd Class Non-Commissioned Officer under the JGSDF and a mechanic of DEM Industries! Where you are is the latter's HQ." Mildred greeted, answering both his questions.

That suddenly explained the high-tech look of the room, as the DEM had the most advanced technology in the world.

"Oh, and before you ask? All of your friends are OK and we knew who the attacker was, so we've put her somewhere that'll keep her from doing more than banging on the walls in anger." She reassured him.

"Really, they're all OK?" He replied.

Shido immediately gave a sigh of relief, though he then realized he didn't really remember anything.

"Wait... hold on, I remember most of what happened, but only up to that girl getting close to all three of us. The rest is a blank." He asked, holding his head.

Mildred blinked before shrugging her shoulders, and giving a playful smile with her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth.

"I don't tend to care about anything not related to my job as a mechanic or getting paid, so you'll have to ask who the boss sent to pick you up for those answers." She replied.

'Gee, thanks for being honest about it...' Shido thought, a slight sweat drop on her face.

The door opened up, making whoever opened it sigh.

"Milly, be lucky that you do good enough of a job for us or you'd be fired for saying that..." A female voice answered.

"Oh, so you must be-" Shido realized, turning his head.

He suddenly paled at who was at the door, completely unable to continue vocalizing himself from what... or rather, _who_ he had seen.

"Sergeant Major Yamauchi at your service." Saya smirked as she saluted.

Shido screamed at the top of his lungs, with Mildred nearly falling over and Saya having already covered her ears due to expecting his reaction.

* * *

In another area of DEM's HQ, the sight of Mio waking up was seen, right as she noticed herself on a bed with some kind of smartwatch across her wrist that showed her vitals on it. This made her scratch her head a bit.

"Wait, aren't heart monitors supposed to work as-" Mio questioned.

"A lot can happen in 30 Years, which I'm pretty sure you've realized since you had your reunion with Shinji and Mana." A female voice answered.

Mio suddenly froze at that, slowly turning to see Ellen standing at the door.

"Ellen!" She exclaimed.

Throwing the medical watch off, the World's Strongest Female Wizard immediately lifted her arms out to catch the First Spirit in a huge. Her friendly smirk made it clear this was something she had been used to doing, despite it had been 30 years since the last time.

"I can't believe it's you! And wow, you've become really beautiful." Mio said with happy tears, looking at her.

"Well, can't take all the credit for that. You did somewhat help with how you restored the world." Ellen replied, giving a bashful chuckle as a slight blush appeared on her face.

Kotori groaned, throwing a pillow at the two that Ellen instinctively blocked.

"Will everyone keep it down!? I'm trying to sleep, and this bed is lumpy as-" Kotori shouted, getting up to look at them.

And that's when she noticed she wasn't in her room.

"Oh... my god... this is _not_ my house." Kotori breathed.

"Glad to see you're awake Kotori, it worried us what might happen after you fully awakened." Ellen greeted.

Kotori looked at Ellen before she gasped.

"You're Ellen Mira Mathers, captain of the AST!" Kotori breathed, acting like she was seeing her idol... which she was.

She jumped out of bed, landing before her in a bowing motion.

"I'm like your biggest fan! You're such a strong woman and it inspired me when I was a full-on crybaby, which I'm not embarrassed about saying out loud!" She said excitedly.

"I like you kid." Ellen said after a giggle.

After putting Mio back on the ground, the Origin Spirit gasped as she noticed a ring made from two bands on her finger.

"Wait, that's... that's a wedding ring!" She realized.

"Yep, it's exactly what you think." Ellen confirmed.

"Tell me, who love the love triangle? Was it Elliot or Ike!?" She begged, needing to know the answer.

Hearing that made Ellen give her an odd look.

"Neither, I married both of them." Ellen answered, pulling the ring to reveal the bands weren't fused.

"Wait, huh!? I thought you told me that marrying more than one person was illegal as a big reason to emphasize my love for Shin was truly one-sided?" Mio questioned.

"It _was_ illegal, until the events 30 years ago dropped the Human population by 90%." Ellen clarified, going a bit silent.

Mio blinked a bit, tilting her head in confusion until she felt Kotori put a hand on her shoulder.

"The fact that Humanity is only a billion strong compared to the 10 billion we had at the time of 2027? The Japanese government revoked all restrictions on marriage, including those of so polygamy and polyamory. While there's still less people who tend to actually have more than one lover, it's due to preference rather than law." Kotori explained.

"Oh, so it's both thanks to me and because it's my fault?" Mio inquired.

Kotori was confused by that last part.

"Just the former, you didn't really do as much damage 30 years ago as you think you did." Ellen corrected.

"Hmm?" Mio blinked.

Ellen put a hand on her shoulder and turned her near the door as they began walking out, with Kotori deciding to follow.

"You'll find out what I mean soon enough." Ellen replied.

Soon enough, they were brought into a familiar room, where a certain face turned to see Mio.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Elliot greeted.

"Elliot!" Mio exclaimed.

She ran up to hug him too, only he fell out of his wheelchair from her tackle hug. Ellen immediately pointed at him and laughing in response.

"Apparently you can't climb stairs either!" She remarked.

"OK, I deserved that one..." Elliot admitted.

Kotori was kind enough to help him back in, though was unable to pry Mio off his form and therefore left her to keep hugging him.

* * *

After calming down, Shido walked with Saya through a hallway, where he started asking questions to piece everything together.

"So, you knew from the very start that Mio was actually a Spirit?" Shido asked.

"I did. My family has been one of the financiers for DEM for years, and that gave me quite the array of skills that made the old Student Council vote me in as the new president. Sorry I couldn't say anything before now." Saya answered.

Taking a moment to think about it, Shido shrugged his arms.

"Don't worry about it, you had reasons you couldn't tell me that, right?" He answered.

Saya sighed in relief.

"Yeah, those including that Origami and Kotori weren't even aware they became Spirits and how it happened being something they were better off not knowing. Let Origami be my evidence to that." She confirmed.

"Wait, what happened to Origami!?" Shido gasped, still believing she might be dead.

"She's alive, but she isn't where any of us can reach right now." Saya reassured him.

He looked confused by that.

"I'm not gonna say everything because someone else would like to do that, so consider me as the one giving the bare minimum summary. Truth be told, that's all I've really gotten to know, along with all the Spirits in Tenguu City." She confessed.

Shido didn't question it, considering he didn't know much himself.

"Well, to explain the one thing I'm mostly versed in and what Mio only doesn't know because of that whole time travel thing she's got going for her... this all began 30 years ago, but only really started around 5 years ago." Saya started.

"I'm guessing this relates to why Spacequakes suddenly returned?" Shido assumed.

Saya nodded at that.

"When Mio saved the world, she completely emptied the pool of Reiryoku she used at the time, and that's when something happened. She was incredibly linked to the Earth's core and the rampant energy at the time, so this seems to be the main factor. Anyways... that power shot up as a pillar, and at the tip, a cluster of energy condensed and crystallized into form that seemed like a divine tree of sorts." Saya continued.

"Is that last part really important?" Shido questioned.

"Due to what Mio was based on, it actually is... the three negative veils of the Sephirot, or the _Tree of Life_ as its sometimes called." She answered.

Shido gasped upon hearing that.

"I see that got your attention. Anyways, that so-called divine tree was too unstable and quickly shattered before much information could be gained by simply scanning a bit of it or viewing it. The thing we can confirm is that it split into 14 shards, which quickly disappeared, something we now believe was time travel due to Mio crossing 30 years in what was just a few minutes to her." Saya explained.

"I'm guessing that's important?" Shido guessed.

"It is, especially since as you saw from me reading Mio's aura, hers is colored rainbow. The first one that landed was a white sphere that would eventually be found by Origami, though it wouldn't become important until 6 months later when Kotori found a second one in red... only it caused the supernatural flames of the Tenguu Fire, when a bunch of kids picking on Kotori thought it was a fun idea to toss it near the worst possible place." She confirmed, sharing more.

Hearing that, Shido suddenly made the connection, remembering how the Tenguu Fire was unable to be put out until the DEM was forced to create a giant water bomb infused with Reiryoku.

"After that, the Spacequakes began to return. It was also the start of a pattern where another sphere appeared every 6 months, though with no way of knowing if someone managed to find them. By last year we had 10, but it seems like not all of them may have been detected if we consider Mio was the last thing to time travel... or maybe four of them never traveled through time at all." Saya finished.

She scratched her head after saying that, showing how much it confused her.

"Well, you said it was based on the Sephirot, right? Maybe you didn't notice four because there's only 10 circles in the tree? If you're describing Mio as what the tree as a whole represents..." Shido suggested.

"Yeah, that's a common theory among the staff here, though the boss says the other four had to represent something for them to even exist." Saya remarked.

A loud scream is heard, making Shido jump a bit.

"Calm down, that's just Princess trying and failing to break free of the quarantine room we have her in." She reassured him.

"Princess?" Shido repeated.

"That's the code name we use for the Spirit that attacked you all... and all we can call her because we don't know her name." Saya clarified.

At that moment, they reached the end of the hall to see a man with long blonde hair.

Upon seeing him, Saya gave him a salute which he immediately returned upon seeing.

"Second Lieutenant Okamine, I've picked up and brought Shido Takamiya over as was requested." Saya stated, removing her salute.

Shido's eyes widened at that.

'This is my teacher's husband!?' He realized, feeling his left eye begin to eye twitch.

"Good, thank you for taking care of him." He answered.

He motioned to the door, making Shido look confused until Saya put a hand on his shoulder.

"Sir Westcott himself wants to see you, or more specifically, offer both an explanation and apology to you. Mio and Kotori should most likely be inside by now, if not soon enough." She clarified.

'DEM's own founder wants to meet me!? Oh god, my parents may know this guy, but I'm worried this instance might be a bad thing!' He thought nervously.

Before his mind had time to fully process everything, he was dragged into the room by Saya.

Once he was inside, the sight of Mio and Kotori turning to see him caught his attention, with the former immediately starting to tear up as she saw him.

"Shido!" She cried.

Before he realized it, Mio tackled him to the ground, making Saya jump a little in surprise.

"M-Mio!" Shido replied, blushing as he felt her large breasts pressing against his lean chest.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for any of it to happen! I didn't mean for you to die! I'm so unbelievably sorry!" Mio cried, all her guilt flooding out.

Hearing that last part, Shido suddenly froze.

"I was what!?" Shido questioned, paling a bit.

"Eh... you may have briefly died for a few minutes and then may have been revived by one of Mio's tears in a way she may have not realized she could even do?" Saya replied, giving a sheepish smile.

"SAY WHAT!?"

At that moment, the laughter of a certain man was heard. It was shortly after that Westcott turned his chair around, Elliot moved his wheelchair closer, while Ellen twirled her hair until she realized the conversation was starting.

"How unexpected, I didn't expect such a comedic routine to occur in a situation like this." He remarked.

"Well, they are teenagers after all." Elliot reminded him.

Ellen sighed, placing her hand on her forehead at the odd sense of humor her two husbands just happened to share.

Standing up, Westcott held a hand up as a greeting to the three.

"Welcome. As you're already aware, I'm Isaac Westcott, the Director of DEM Industries." He greeted the trio.

"Yeah, I know that." Mio chuckled awkwardly.

As Kotori helped the two up, both she and Shido looked at her in surprise.

"You actually know him?" Kotori questioned.

"Well yeah, how could I not? Your parents mentioned that. Not to mention the fact that besides being old friends, these three...are the ones who created me." Mio replied.

The two of them stared in shock, with Saya struggling not to laugh at them.

"Oh... did Shin, Mana, and I all forget to mention that part?" Mio realized, a sweat drop on her face.

"Gee, you think!?" Kotori sarcastically yelled in reply.

This time, Ellen actually found herself laughing, with Elliot and Westcott being the ones who didn't understand the apparent sense of humor their shared wife had.

Clearing his throat, Shido looked at the trio again.

"You... wanted to talk to us about something, right?" Shido asked, briefly motioning his hands towards Mio.

Westcott's face immediately regained its serious expression.

"Yes, after today... we can't simply have you ignore the information we chose to keep from you, not when another Spirit had been willing to attack you just out of mere association for Deus, better known by us all as Mio Takamiya." He confirmed.

"Wow, fitting nickname for me considering you called me a real-life Goddess when you told me what I am." Mio remarked.

Clapping his hands, the trio turned to look at a screen that fell into view, starting with the image of an odd-looking village.

"Although the events that lead us here truly began 30 years ago, what caused the gears that would set it in motion began a decade before that." Elliot explained, closing his eyes out of respect.

"In the year of 1887, an organization known as Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was created. They were an order that connected with the Jewish story of the Bible and the Sephirot itself, but what few knew? They were something else..." Westcott continued.

He breathed, with Ellen finishing the last bit.

"They were all Magicians, as in the actual mages people would consider myths and best known from TV shows." She revealed.

Shido and Kotori gasped, prompting Westcott to continue the rest of the story on his own.

"After 16 years, the original Founders of the group decided it was best for them to live away from the rest of Humanity, so they claimed they'd be disbanding and used that chance to hide themselves where they believed no one would never have reason to bother them. The names of those founders were... William Robert Woodman, William Wynn Westcott, and Samuel Liddell Mathers." He stated.

"My god, then... you three are-" Kotori realized.

"Yes, those were our descendants, which makes the three of us former mages." He confirmed.

Grabbing some coffee tea from a nearby machine, Westcott took a sip before resuming his story.

"However, 40 years ago... everything suddenly changed. We were only children back then, but our home was attacked by these machines, commanded by some force we didn't recognize. These black mechanical nightmares crushed us and our magic, forcing the remaining mages among the village to flee and go into hiding in a magical dimension we created, and beginning a horrible life for us where some of us had to go out and possibly sacrificing ourselves to keep the rest of us alive."

Shido felt his fight tighten in response, not even realizing he did because it was out of reflex to what he heard.

"We didn't even know why we were being hunted. Was it out of fear? Maybe they did it for satisfaction? Did the ones hunting us even have a reason for doing so? There was no way to find the answers, so we struggled to find something, anything that could give us one. The three of us didn't truly know anything, until one day... our parents went out with a good friend of theirs, but only that friend came back... finally shredding away the innocence that left us oblivious to the truth."

Kotori silently gasped at that, wondering just what kind of nightmare these machine forces were, much less what possessed whoever to hunt the mages who had done nothing wrong to the world.

"It was the last straw, and I felt the need to do something, but it was only due to Ellen and Elliot I didn't go down a path I may have regretted. However, then something came to me... the answer to all our problems. Not uniting against these forces, but dealing with all of the magic in the world. If they wanted us for being mages, we had to become human, and the only way to do that was to completely purge the world of all magic."

Shido then looked at Mio, suddenly realizing the puzzle from the incomplete story he was likely sharing. Mio on the other hand believed this may have related to the first image she saw right as Tohka charged her.

"Taking all of that magical power, you ended up creating Mio as a result, didn't you?" He inquired.

"Yes, that's exactly what we did... or rather the unexpected result of our attempt. When we tried using all of our power to create an equivalent exchange of sorts, it... didn't go as we planned. By complete accident, we caused the Eurasian Sky Disaster and it gave birth to Mio as a result. As she was mentally a newborn, she ran away, eventually being found by your parents, who we in turn found in trying to make sure Mio hadn't gone on a rampage." Westcott confirmed.

Mio gave a sheepish chuckle, blushing in embarrassment.

"Don't feel too bad Mio, especially since after analyzing things after you disappeared, we confirmed you never did any damage to Humanity. Not even the Spacequake you were born from counts because it turns out you didn't overlay your signature White Spacequakes with it." He confirmed.

"Wait, so... I didn't... but what about how Shin found me in a crater?" Mio asked, looking confused.

"Your Spacequake didn't happen until after the first black one came off, you even seemed to actively avoid populated areas, while for the crater? That was a rare exception we still don't have an exact answer behind... aside from you instinctively trying to meet him without even knowing it, but the crater? You... crash landed." Elliot explained.

Mio blushed at that, though gave a sigh of relief.

"Oh good, so the total amount of casualties I caused is-" She realized, smiling as she did.

"Absolutely zero." Ellen confirmed.

Shido patted Mio's back to further help calm her, then looked at the Hermetic Trio again.

"So, what happened after that?" Shido asked.

"That is a story for a different time, but... I guess I should explain why Salamandra and Angel, or rather Kotori and Origami as we know them, are Spirits." Westcott replied, looking at him.

Kotori nodded at that, putting a hand up.

"Yeah, that would help. Especially since know that I was born as a normal Human into the Itsuka family. After all, childhood pictures and DNA tests don't lie." She replied.

After saying that, she paused for a few seconds.

"Oh, and tell me why you gave me Salamandra as a code name? Because it's really cool." Kotori asked.

"Well, you are the Flame Spirit, so we chose a variant on the name for the Fire Spirit of Alchemy due to most people being familiar with the word Salamander for the common lizard. The irony? It can also be used for Dragons, which works in making you look like a Humanoid Dragon." Westcott answered.

"Ooh!" She exclaimed.

"As for the childhood pictures and DNA tests showing you were Human despite you being a Spirit now..." He continued, trailing off slightly.

Westcott sighed, scratching his head at that.

"Allow me to take the lead on this part." Ellen offered, having had the experience of facing Tohka directly.

"Very well." Westcott permitted.

Grabbing a remote, she clicked something to show a recording from 5 years ago.

Shido and Kotori watched as they saw Origami and Kotori during the events, and the first thing they noticed was Origami finding what looked to be her parents, and then...

Both of them looked in horror as the witnessed the fatal gas explosion, including the screen that showing her vitals flat-lining.

"What... the hell... are we seeing!?" Kotori demanded.

"You might want to keep watching before you say anything else." Ellen quickly advised.

Immediately after saying that, the two saw the recording of the pillar that fell on Kotori and Shido, making the former pale in horror as the same flat-lining happened to her. Luckily, what happened to Origami didn't repeat with her upon seeing it.

Truth be told? She kind of saw it coming, which helped lessen the horror of her being made aware she had briefly been dead.

"S-So, you're saying that I... that I..." The redheaded Spirit stuttered.

At that moment, Shido and Kotori suddenly held their heads and then released pained screams, making look at them with worry. Ellen immediately paused the video before kneeling to them.

"Are you two alright?" She asked.

Shido gasped as his head cleared, with Kotori following a few seconds afterwards.

"Yeah, I... I just remember it now. Everything that day, including meeting Origami and the crystal sphere that Kotori had found." Shido replied, panting a little.

"That crystal's inside of me... but how?" Kotori questioned.

"Like this." Mio answered.

Focusing her hand over her heart, everyone saw a rainbow glow emit from it, which is when Westcott snapped his fingers to motion a camera at her. Everyone's eyes widened as they saw a heart that was partially crystallized, which similarly spread to her veins.

"If it wasn't for the fact that I think the camera feed's imagery of it is beautiful and the fact I'm aware I have a red version of that... I'd be freaking out right now." Kotori admitted.

Closing her eyes, she put her hand over that area, making everyone see a red glow that acted as her confirmation.

"But how did that bring us back to life?" Kotori questioned.

"That's what happened next." Ellen answered.

Pressing the slow button on the video, it resumed play and moved at a speed to reveal the crystals turning in shards that went inside of them, causing their flat-lined pulses to return as the merge with their bodies reignited their waning spark of life.

"You brought me back to life... but how is that possible?" She questioned, looking at her heart to look at the Sephira Crystal.

"The answer to that is at best complex, but if we use how Mio was able to restore Shido back to life? My assumption is due to how she was born due to giving a form of life to what's considered life energy, the shards want to be whole, and after they bond with the first person they touch? Upon dying, they become that missing piece that they lost upon their deaths, transforming them into a Spirits as they change the physiology of the person they bond with." Ellen theorized.

Shido blinked in confusion.

"Well, let's see... I think it's fairly accurate to say the Seirei Era is made of Humans with Spirit powers, so the connection to life is stronger than the Humans born before it. With how Mio could have been born from nothing, or what was once alive, the same logic applies. At least, that's the best way I can think to explain it." She clarified best she could.

"So, you think that's what gave Kotori and Origami their Seirei Abilities?" Shido asked.

"No, they always had them, but they definitely helped evolve their abilities. Notice how in Origami's video that she didn't teleport away like she can now? My assumption is her body didn't originally have the same speed or teleporting ability until she became a Spirit. Just as Kotori was able to survive being crushed by a pillar today, but originally was dead the moment one struck her." Ellen answered.

Thinking about those moments in the video, Shido realized her theory was fairly sound. Especially since Kotori's healing only began to flare up after she got hit, yet Origami's was unchanged after her powers manifested.

"Hey, wait... if I died, then wouldn't that mean-" Shido realized, pointing at himself.

"No, I don't think the same works with you. It'd be more accurate to say you're simply linked with Mio now, like a... Half-Spirit of sorts." Ellen clarified.

"Hmm... maybe so, because I don't feel any different." He confessed.

Grabbing some coffee tea, Ellen took a sip before resuming her talk.

"For the Spirit that attacked you, things with here are a bit... different so to speak." She continued.

"Different? How so?" Kotori asked.

Mio soon remembered something that happened when Origami got swallowed by the power of Maryoku.

"Sephira's Inversion." She repeated those words.

"Huh?" Ellen blinked.

"When Origami manifested her powers, the Spirit said those words, and considering how Maryoku is? It's likely her powers became the inverse of what they are. I think in a sense, it's the inverted state of her powers." Mio explained.

Elliot hummed at that, realizing the connection.

"So, an Inverse Form of the Spirits where their spirit power is negative... everyone, add that to our database!" He shouted, deciding to coin the terminology.

Ellen nodded her head, looking at Mio.

"You pretty defined what she's like fairly well, you see... that Spirit is one we call Princess, being the only other Spirit that we currently know of. When she first appeared, she immediately lashed out like we were a threat. We aren't even sure why, considering we didn't appear hostile to her, and then... well, our last encounter with her is when we saw her in the state you know her under." She continued.

"So, she didn't always look like that?" Kotori assumed.

"Not a bit. See, to work off what Mio just said? When she born, all magic in the world evolved because it condensed into her, becoming we all know today as Reiryoku, which we named due to the _Rei_ part referring to how one can say Zero in the Japanese language and the fact Mio's name has that as part of its spelling. However, what most don't know is there's a darker side to the power we call Maryoku, as the term itself means magical power and sounds like Mazoku..." Ellen explained.

"And Mazoku stands for things like monsters or demons." Kotori recalled, remember a book she recently read.

Ellen confirmed her thoughts.

"That energy is what the Spacequakes are made of. In the current day, they happen because of a buildup of Maryoku, which the lead to the Day of the Black Earth since the world couldn't handle it until Mio strengthened it through her powers. However, it can also occur if a Spirit arrives in an area while they still lack full control of their powers." Ellen continued.

"I can verify that..." Mio admitted in embarrassment, recalling the one time she made one by sneezing.

Shido rubbed her back in response.

"Unfortunately, because it's a more negative form of Reiryoku that the Spirits can interact with? It seems the Maryoku can overwhelm them entirely. When it swallowed up Princess, her personality became much more violent, like everything she did was based on negative emotions refusing to see reason to anything else... and she liked it." Ellen stated, gulping slightly.

"Then... it's likely Origami entered that transformation because she didn't know she had died due to her age and awareness, causing enough negative feelings and letting Maryoku swallow her up or caused her Reiryoku to become Maryoku. Is that what you're saying?" Shido inquired.

She breathed a bit, soon looking at Kotori with a relieved look.

"The good news is we know it's not permanent, as it seems Kotori's last attack forced Princess to regain her previous form. While she's still angry, it isn't in the same sense, and anger seems to be the one emotion that's not able to invoke this... Inversion as I guess we're calling it now." Ellen smiled.

Hearing all of this and how Tohka acted, Shido decided on something.

"Let me try talking to her." He requested.

"What? But Shido, that girl will likely try to kill you again!" Kotori shouted, trying to stop him.

"Where we put her removed everything but her strength. If Shido used his powers on her energy, then she'll likely be left no choice but to talk things out. Besides... we need answers we don't have to a lot of questions, such as why she's been acting as violent as she has."

Kotori felt her left eye twitch, but soon relented.

"Fine, but you're letting me stay within their sights in case she tries anything." She relented.

"Deal." Westcott agreed.

* * *

Tohka screamed as she smashed the walls of the room she was in, causing damage that healed faster than she could make it stack up. While the walls were an opaque beige color on her side, they were clear to everyone watching.

"Whoa, she's really mad..." Mio remarked.

"Hey, is it me, or is her hair different?" Shido inquired, seeing the white gradient area was gone.

Kotori recalled she had seen that.

"I noticed that, but I didn't think it meant anything at the time. Is that related to that whole Inversion thing?" She asked.

Ellen nodded her head.

"Her hair with that gradient meant she was in her Inverse Form, so her lack of it means she's in her default state. That means she'd have her original Astral Dress and an Angel instead of that dangerous Demon if she could manifest either." Ellen answered.

"Going off what I know of Christianity, I'm guessing a Demon's the evil version of an Angel." Kotori realized.

Ellen turned to Shido.

"She can't see or hear us in there, so when you go in? Be ready to react _immediately_." She warned him.

"Right... here I go." He replied, taking a deep breath.

He walked up to the door and it opened up. The moment Tohka realized this, she turned Shido and growled as she recognized him.

"You!" She shouted.

Immediately grabbing a nearby dresser, she tossed it at him. Shido immediately rushed ahead, dodging the flying furniture, and then leaped at Tohka before she could grab another.

 **"Silence!"**

Tohka felt her energy suddenly fade away, making what she was about to pick up become too heavy for her as she felt her legs wobble.

"W-What the hell... did you do to me?" She questioned, falling to her knees.

"I siphoned your energy away. I want you and I to talk, and I'm not letting you say no." Shido answered.

Tohka glared at him, before turning her head away in defiance.

"Act like that all you want, but you're completely powerless in here." Shido reminded her.

She ignored that, still refusing to meet his eyes.

*"GROWL!"*

Tohka began to sweat as she as she struggled not to give in, which is when Shido noticed the bowls of bread she devoured and the one she had left.

"Oh my, this bread looks delicious. I think I'll have a loaf." He said.

"Don't you touch it!" Tohka screamed.

Forgetting she was weak, she collapsed onto her stomach, groaning as fatigue _and_ hunger began to hammer her form. Shido held some bread up to her, making her unable to look away from it as she sweated more.

"If you want me to give you the food, you're gonna talk." He stated.

"Never! I'll... never give in!" She refused.

"I'm surprised you're acting this way. Didn't you say you were attacking Mio because she didn't feel what you had to go through or something along those lines?" Shido questioned.

Tohka looked away, still refusing to give in. That's when Shido decided to drop the bomb on her.

"And... I want to change that, I want you to know you're not alone. That at the very least? You have one friend, and that friend is me." He promised.

She gasped at that, looking at him.

"You... are you stupid? Why would ever want... to be a friend, or have anything to do with me!?" Tohka demanded.

"Why does it matter that I want to be your friend?" He inquired.

She gritted her teeth, grabbing the ground... before Shido saw a few tears shed from them.

"I... I killed you just because of what that other Spirit had, and I... I nearly killed your little friend." Tohka answered.

"I'm aware of that... and I doubt that'll be something I'll forgive anytime soon. However, the form you had? I've heard what it was, and something truly horrible must have happened for you give into such a horrible power, so... to me?" He answered.

He held out his hand, with Tohka looking at it.

"Leaving someone alone to such a future is an even worse thing to do, so let us be your hope... if you'll allow it that is." Shido offered.

Tohka's mouth quivered before tears flooded form her eyes, causing her angered to become one of sadness. Everyone outside watched as she began crying, leaving Shido to rub her back as she let it all out.

After a few minutes, she finally looked at him.

"Alright... I'll talk." She agreed.

He smiled, soon giving her the bread, which she immediately scared down.

"You really like this Kinako Bread, don't you?" He asked.

"Is that what this is? I just thought it looked good." She replied, her voice muffled by a full mouth.

After that was done, the two were seated on the chair.

"First thing that we should be get out of the way... what's your name?" Shido asked.

"I already told you, but I guess the situation didn't give you the best opportunity to hear it." Tohka replied, recalling that moment.

She took a deep breath.

"My name is Tohka Yatogami." She revealed once again.

Kotori sighed in relief, realizing that her interference wasn't needed. Now, what really mattered was if Tohka could give them the information they were looking for.

"OK then Tohka... let's begin." He replied.

* * *

 **And with that, we've brought Tohka's arc to a close. However, unlike with my other stories, the arc's end doesn't necessarily bring a conclusion because I'm going for a more streamlined pace of events. This works in an interesting way because through this new pace, knowing when an arc will be harder to figure out, and to emphasize that? This is going to be the only time I'll directly tell you that an arc has ended for this story.**

 **Kotori's finally awakened her powers regained her memories of the Tenguu Fire and along with Shido, which has also given official confirmation on how she became a Spirit... and how the fire started. As for Shido, we now know that's why he's called the Spiritual Successor in the story. Because of his brief death and revival, while he doesn't know it yet, he and Mio are... connected in a way that goes beyond her connection to his father.**

 **For why it worked? In canon, Mio couldn't revive Shinji when he had no spirit powers in him, so I figured that would be enough for the defining difference since in a sense, part of her was already in Shido from the start. Admittedly, that's the same logic to why Origami and Kotori were able to bond with a Sephira Crystals, so had that not been the case... *shivers***

 **Then we have the reveal that Ellen's married to both Elliot and Westcott, and while there are a few reasons for it? I can only share two. The first comes from Ellen's loyalty (including that in-universe rumor she's his mistress), and how V18 shows that she wanted Elliot to take her with him when he and Karen left the DEM. The second is because Shido was the only example of polygamy in DARL, so I decided to make Ellen part of a reverse harem instance.**

 **Lastly, the biggest thing this chapter gave were those three images that Mio saw. While the first was fairly obvious and even she realized it was likely the Hermetic Trio casting the spell that created her... the image of Reine being in Reiryoku was odd, but even that was topped by the final image. Just what was with that image of a brunette Tohka? Not to mention does Tohka have the answer, or is she just as clueless?**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	5. Mark of the Sephira

**And it's time for another chapter of Spiritual Successor, which is now starting the Origami arc! Even better? This isn't just focused on everyone's attempts to find where she went after she became Lost... it's where the villains of this story make their first serious move and start making actual debuts in the story. While that's going on, Shido and the others also have to help Tohka remove the wall she still has built around her heart.**

 **This chapter will also show a few consequences from Tohka's arc, because after all that happened... with the exception of Shido (who you can only excuse due to his death and how he usually stands up tall after such in canon), everyone is going to show they've been really affected by what happened. Even Tohka herself isn't an exception to this, albeit for a completely different reason than everyone else.**

 **Best of all is this arc is where the harem will officially begin, so to anyone who was waiting for some romance to start? Wait no longer! Although for a small heads ups? While I may change my mind later on, as of right now, don't expect Tohka to show any signs of liking Shido this way until after this arc, since right now she hasn't really gotten the chance to develop any feelings for him, especially since she _hated_ him while Inverted.**

 **Luckily, what I can promise in this arc is you'll see Shido show a few powers due to his new Half-Spirit nature as of the previous chapter. That itself will play a slight role in getting the harem started since he'll need a tutor in that area. Best of all? Along with some of his canon abilities, you'll also be seeing a few powers that I created myself, some of which that will show up as the arcs go by.**

 **Now with all of that said, time to begin.**

* * *

 **[Chapter 5 - Mark of the Sephira]**

 _Reine coughed as she walked through a swampy area, eventually spotting the sight of magic runes hidden to all but the eyes of a mage. Holding up her wand, she unleashed a spark of mana, causing it to open a small portal._

 _She jumped through, with the portal immediately closing behind her after she entered, and appeared in a magical dimension that was fairly identical to the world Humanity lived in. The only difference is the skies contained the same glowing lines seen in the strange realms the Spirits sometimes slept in._

 _"Hello!?" Reine called out._

 _Upon hearing that voice, the sight of a woman with wavy brown hair with a few kids was seen, one of which resembled a smaller version of herself. She turned from the garden she was tending and noticed her silhouette in the distance._

 _"They're back." She realized._

 _"Mommy's back?" A girl with Nordic blonde hair gasped._

 _Reine trudged forward as soon saw the brown-haired woman run out into view, smiling as she hugged her close._

 _"Thank goodness you're back." She smiled._

 _"Rebecca..." Reine breathed, trying not to cry._

 _"Wait... where are others, did you come ahead of them?" Rebecca asked, noticing a certain three wizards missing._

 _Reine's mouth quivered at that and lowered her head, making her hair cover her eyes. Rebecca immediately gasped._

 _"Oh god... you don't mean?" Rebecca realized._

 _"Aunt Reine!" The Nordic blonde girl exclaimed._

 _Reine turned as she saw her run up to them, with her hair still covering her eyes as she hugged her leg._

 _"Ellen..." She breathed._

 _Following the girl now confirmed to be Ellen were two boys, revealing the younger Elliot and Westcott, who looked the same as their older selves compared to the young Ellen that hadn't grown out her hair just yet._

 _"Hey, where's daddy? I have to show him how I finally learned how to do a fire spell!" Elliot asked._

 _"Wait until my dad sees the spell I created!" Westcott exclaimed, bouncing on his feet slightly._

 _Rebecca panicked, looking at the three._

 _"Uh... Elliot, Ellen, Isaac? I need you to listen to me." She answered, already terrified over how she'd have to reveal their parents' deaths to them._

 _Reine put a hand on her shoulder._

 _"I'll do it..." Reine said quietly._

 _Looking at the three, who were still excited, Reine suddenly shed a tear. Ellen suddenly lost her excitement as she saw this._

 _"Aunt Reine, what's wrong?" Ellen asked, looking worried._

 _"Ellen, Isaac, Elliot? I'm afraid... that your parents won't be coming back home anymore." Reine confessed, more tears shedding from her eyes._

 _The sound of quivering was heard._

 _"Mommy's... dead?" Ellen sniffled._

 _"Yes, she's gone! I was there and all they told me was to get back home! If I hadn't found all that hidden information only I could translate, I would have been the one they asked to die so they could come back alive! Your parents are all dead because the worst time for me to have something worth value was when I was with the three of them! I killed them just because I was there!" Reine screamed._

 _She prepared to throw rip apart the bag containing all they had sacrificed themselves for her to bring back, forcing Rebecca to knock her to the ground._

 _"Stop it! If you throw that all away, then they'll have died for nothing!" She screamed, struggling to hold her back._

 _Ellen covered her eyes before she began crying, while Elliot dropped to his knees, his mind in conflict over what should be the truth and what he wanted to believe was nothing but lies._

 _However, the reaction for Isaac was the worst of them, as he rushed towards his room without a word._

 _"Isaac!" The young brown-haired girl called out._

 _Westcott screamed, tears in his eyes as he smashed his trash can across the wall._

 _"You... you... you stupid pieces of scrap! All of you are just bastards! You just keep killing us and we've never done a single thing to you! This is all because your creators fear us and not because you have a single good reason for this, you're the ones that should have to die!" He raged._

 _Soon enough, his dented trash can rolled across the floor, with all of the trash inside falling out of it._

 _"How much more... do we have to suffer? Why won't people just allow us to live in peace?" He begged for the answer, his voice shaking._

 _"Ike..."_

 _With the sound of his nickname being used, he turned to see Ellen and Elliot walk in, soon making him rush over to them. The three held each other close in a group hug, knowing they now only had each other._

 _Whatever came next, nothing would ever be the same for the Hermetic Trio._

* * *

Back in the present day, the sight of Shido and Tohka sitting in the table of the Spirit Quarantining room.

"OK then Tohka... let's begin." Shido replied.

"What do you want me to start with?" She asked.

"I guess the best place to start things off... when did you first realize you had become a Spirit? Based on what Saya told me, I know it can't have been more than 5 years ago, while Kotori and Origami had become Spirits before you. That means you're the third this happened to at best." Shido asked.

"Sorry, but I can't answer that." Tohka replied, closing her eyes.

Everyone sighed at that, while Shido took a closer look at Tohka.

"Come on, please talk to me. We can't do anything if you refuse to answer what I'm-" Shido begged.

She grabbed his mouth with her fingers, shutting him up.

"You misunderstand. When I said that I can't answer that, I meant I _literally_ can't answer that. How can I when I've never been a Human at any point of my life?" Tohka responded.

With that line, everyone's eyes widened in shock, with Mio outright freezing in place for a moment.

"She's... a pure Spirit, like me!?" Mio said in disbelief.

Eating more of the Kinako Bread and seeing that Shido was still shocked, she continued.

"Well, it all began the day my Sephira Crystal first appeared." Tohka began.

"Sephira Crystal?" Shido repeated.

"You know, the things that turned your friends your friends into Spirits?" She explained, sighing a bit.

"Oh... sorry, we didn't know they had an official name." He replied.

Giving a silent _Oh_ in response, she nodded before deciding to continue her explanation.

"Well, the official name is Sephira Crystals because the Origin Spirit you-" Tohka continued.

Shido gave her a deadpan look at that.

"Uh... I mean, because Mio herself represents Ain Soph, which itself represents the Tree of Life? Each of the Sephira Crystals represents one of the Sephira or a certain aspect of the Sephirot. All of them have a certain color tied to the rainbow and light spectrum, mine being violet." She explained.

"Following you so far." He nodded.

"Anyways... mine suddenly landed somewhere I can't truly recall. May have been this city for all I know. Regardless of that fact, after it did, many people began walking past it, completely unaware of where it was, until eventually? Something about it began to change it. Those people would always be talking and sharing their thoughts, until it began sensing an energy from all of them, and from there... it started to think." Tohka revealed.

Everyone's jaw drops at that.

"Are you saying that... the Sephira Crystal became sentient?" Shido realized.

"That's right, the Sandalphon Crystal became more aware of what it and those around it were. Most of all, it began understanding the nature of its own powers. How each Sephira Crystal was born from how Mio's powers synchronized with the world for a brief moment, gathering fourteen aspects from it. The aspect Sandalphon was imbued with was the physics behind kinetic energy, which was why it was starting to become more than it was." Tohka confirmed, soon resuming her story.

Shido looked confused for a moment.

"Certain things are more linked to life force." She clarified.

"Oh!" Shido nodded in understanding.

"That's when it happened. That energy began adapting, wanting to be more, eventually causing its energized form to create the appearance of a girl. Before long, the simple fact became a reality... I had been born. From there, I gave myself my name, choosing Tohka because something inside me said my name had to include the number 10 in it for reasons I never understood, while Yatogami came from my sword and the night sky that was the first thing I remember seeing with my own eyes." Tohka continued.

As Shido heard that, Ellen's eyes briefly shifted as she put a finger to her chin.

"Ellen?" Mio asked, noticing her movement.

"Her name required a specific number... then Ike was right, that isn't random. It's a requirement." Ellen mentioned.

"Wait, huh?" Kotori tilted her head in confusion.

Remembering her guests who still weren't aware of that detail, she quickly cleared her throat as she looked at them.

"When Kotori and Origami first got their powers, one odd thing Ike noticed was that each of your surnames had that matched the ones tied to a certain Sephira's placement in the Sephirot." Ellen clarified.

"I don't get it, where in my name is... hey wait, I remember seeing my surname's meaning once. I can't remember it fully, but I remember it mentioned 5... _Itsu_ meant five!" Kotori replied, soon piecing the dots together.

"And for Origami, the _Ichi_ of her name means one. Camael and Metatron are the Angels tied to those respective Sephira, with even Mio having the number 0 due to how her name is written." Saya confirmed.

Mio blinked a bit, doing the math in her head.

"Oh yeah, I pointed that out to Shinji the one time I wrote my name in every manner I could. Tohka herself has the _To_ that means 10 in it, which is tied to the Angel known as Sandalphon... oh, I see how that works now!" Mio remembered, soon realizing how the Spirits' Angels were named.

"So, are you saying that the Sephira Crystals might actively be looking for people who have a first or last name with a number?" Kotori asked.

Ellen hummed a bit before answering.

"Well, maybe not all of them, but a majority of them do. There's only so many spots with assigned numbers of the Sephirot, so ignoring Mio due to what she represents on the tree, there's probably about four exceptions, which fits the number of crystals we couldn't spot the arrivals of." She clarified.

"I guess with how ethereal my existence is, it isn't easy to confirm anything about something that I created by accident." Mio apologized, giving an awkward chuckle.

Back inside, the talk between Shido and Tohka continued.

"So, what you're saying is... your Sephira Crystal formed a consciousness that became you?" Shido asked.

"Yeah, though I have no idea if any of the other Spirits have elements that them be born in a similar manner. Not to mention it seems more likely that most of the Spirits are the result of the Sephira Crystal reviving the recently deceased of someone they've bonded with... or just fused to their life force if it's not a requirement to die. I will admit that being a teenager seems to be another condition, seeing as I was born in this form since day one." Tohka confirmed.

With that, she closed her eyes as she remembered the day of her birth.

* * *

 _A sleeping Tohka was seen on a bench, slowly opening her eyes for the first time as she and looked around the area. No one noticed anything odd about it because the night sky was out, which made it look like she had just woken from a nap._

 _Looking at herself, she noticed she was wearing a red and black striped shirt with a pink blouse over it that was tied over her bosom, with jean shorts and some brown boot-like shoes. Her hair was also tied up by the normal version of her signature butterfly ribbon._

 **"I was somewhat aware of what was going on around me, so no one seemed to view me as odd among them. It took a while to get used to realizing I was alive and existing in the physical form of a Human girl that grew from what had become my heart... and for me to experience the uglier parts of the world."**

 _Getting up and shifting her eyes around for a bit, something suddenly flew out of the shadows, making her scream as it left a nasty cut on her left arm._

 **"Just that one event... defined so much."**

 _Turning her head towards what just attacked her, the sight of some humanoid robot with claws turned looking at her with a single glowing eye was seen._

 _It made a loud sound before charging at her again, with its form shifting to move like some kind of living jet. Tohka instinctively held out her hand, causing something to pierce through it, which was soon revealed to be Sandalphon._

 _She rose her Angel into the air as her Astral Dress manifested itself, swinging the sword down to shred the machine in half with a wave of energy._

* * *

Shido noticed her hands starting to shake, her expression becoming transforming into something that looked... terrified.

"Because I was now alive? Things like pain, fear, anger, hatred, sadness... I felt it all, and being attacked like that filled me with so much of each. My anger was usually the emotion that took prominence among those. The machines I had slain with my Angel, then other Humans who kept appearing... armed with weapons like I was some rabid dog to be hunted. It was like the world was saying that I wasn't allowed to live." Tohka stated, tightening her fists.

"If you mean Ellen for the people with armed weapons? They were only holding those as a precaution and for self-defense... though I'm guessing you never noticed they didn't attack you first." Shido replied.

Tohka paused for a moment as she realized that, turning to the side and coughing twice.

"Eventually, flashes of a girl with silvery hair wearing something like a toga you'd see on a Goddess entered my mind. I realized I was seeing someone like me... and she was smiling, that meant she was happy, while I was completely on my own and suffering through all of these horrors. Eventually, a machine that actually gave me trouble attacked me, and for the first time? I saw the threat of death reaching out for me." She continued, hiding the embarrassed blush on her face.

"Take your time, don't force it out." Shido stated.

Taking a moment to breathe and calm herself down, Tohka continued her story.

"And that's when it happened... something within me reached out. It was dark and horrible, the kind of thing you'd know was bad news, but I was in such a horrible state of despair by then that I didn't want to think about anything, so I allowed it to take me in without a fight. Before I knew it, the feeling of a shadowy hand grabbed my entire being, and then..."

She breathed heavily, making Shido decide to speak for her.

"Sephira's Inversion, that's what you defined it as, right?" He said.

Tohka looked at him in surprise.

"Mio heard you say that when we saw Origami go through the presumably same process?" Shido explained.

"Yeah, the complete opposite of myself. I was aware of what I was doing, but I no longer had the control I once did... no, that's not fairly accurate. It's more like I didn't give a damn about restrain myself anymore. I went full out, only feeling more negativity, but I didn't question it. The actions of what I did were so negative, it was the only thing that made me feel alive and not in pain. A living contradiction, but I just kept going..." She confirmed.

"Tohka..." Shido breathed.

"All I wanted to do was break something, to destroy something, or worse... kill someone if I could. It was like I was and wasn't a different person at the same time, scared yet not afraid at all. Worse is that I remember it all... and who knows what kind of things I did that I wasn't aware of doing just because I didn't see them? With how easily I was able to lose control, I wouldn't be surprised if I already have killed someone!"

Her head suddenly turned to the side, and she felt a powerful stinging on her cheek, looking to see Shido had slapped her.

"Don't talk like that!" He screamed angrily.

Tohka managed to calm down, taking a few deep breathes as she realized that Shido hit her to calm her overwhelming emotions, realizing she could accidentally cause herself to undergo another Inversion if she kept going.

"Never thought I'd say this, but thank you for slapping me." She sighed in relief.

"You're welcome, especially since I had to because you already ate all the Kinako Bread and couldn't stuff one in your mouth." Shido replied.

Tohka's eyes widened as she realized this.

As she paled over the revelation of being without anymore of her new favorite food, Shido thought of anything else he could as her, but with what he learned so far? It seemed like Tohka had told him everything she already knew.

Meaning it was time to ask the questions related to how they might be able to find where Origami went.

"So, what happened to Origami after you overpowered her? We're really worried about her." Shido asked.

"I'm guessing she went to the same weird place I've always found myself going to without intending to, or... may be entering and leaving without knowing how I do it." Tohka answered.

"What do you mean?" Shido asked.

"Hmm... how should I put this? After I began fighting back against threats, my body started to disappear naturally on occasion, reappearing in some kind of dark space. The strangest thing is where I go there? I just fall asleep, then I usually get pulled back here as my wakeup call... usually at least." She explained.

"Can you describe this place?" He inquired.

"Well... it's a bunch of violet energy with these golden lines of energy strewn across it. I don't know if it's the same for every Spirit, so I can't even verify if the one I'm aware of is specific to me or not." Tohka replied, scratching her cheek slightly.

Shido thought for a bit, with Mio's eyes widening a bit.

"Wait, I know what she's talking about! Give me your phone Kotori!" Mio realized, holding her hand out towards the Flame Spirit.

"Uh... OK?" Kotori replied, giving it to her.

Shido soon noticed a text reach his phone, making Tohka blink at the device he pulled out.

"Sorry, give me a second." He apologized.

 ** _From Kotori:_**  
 ** _"This is Mio, and I can answer Tohka's question for her. Just tell her what I'm saying in my following reply."_**

"Oh, looks like Mio knows what it is." Shido replied, looking at Tohka.

Tohka just stared, making Shido a bit nervous as she kept doing it.

"I'll... just say it, like right now." He decided.

Clearing his throat, he waited for Mio to send her next reply before continuing, with Tohka still staring at him.

"Apparently, it's the inside of your own Sephira Crystal, pulling you inside because it's trying to protect you when it realizes you're in a weakened state. Mio kept going there prior to her first meeting with my father because she hadn't fully understood her powers just yet, only finding complete control when she fully connected to the Sephira Crystal within herself." Shido explained.

"So, basically... I'm inside my powers because I'm still not aware of everything about them?" Tohka summarized, looking slightly confused.

"Pretty much." Shido replied.

Tohka took a deep breath, looking to the side.

"I don't know how to help you there, other than Origami will likely reappear on her own at some point. It's just a matter of when she'll finally wake up." She replied.

"You could come and help us when-" Shido replied.

"I refuse." Tohka interjected.

Shido was surprised, while Tohka looked at her, the expression she started with on her face once more.

"At best, I'm only tolerating you mean what you say. I have no reason or desire to help you or the others. You've given me no reason to fully trust you, so don't make me think you're that naive to believe I'll suddenly be your best friend." She warned him.

He sighed, closing his eyes.

"You still need us to earn your trust. Well, then I'll promise you we'll do that, even if you try to keep it from being a reality." Shido answered, surprising Tohka.

"I..." Tohka stumbled over her words, looking away again.

Thinking he didn't have any questions left, he prepared to leave... only for Mio to text him again, making him blink.

"Hey, Mio has this one question she thinks may be important to you... though it might seem kind of odd." Shido stated.

"Why would it be weird?" Tohka asked.

"Uh... well, she had this vision during the battle, and she says she saw you, only you were a brunette. I don't know why she saw that, but does it ring any bells?" He asked, awkwardly scratching his head cheek.

Tohka simply stared at him, but then tilted her head, with a metaphorical question mark popping by the right of her head.

"Me with brown hair, what is... she..." She questioned.

Right at that moment, she suddenly felt her body start to shake, making Shido gasp as she suddenly fell to the ground. Rushing over to her side, and helped her now unconscious form up.

"Hey, Tohka? Tohka!?" He shouted.

Her face slightly trembled, with the flush of a fever quickly becoming visible.

Was the question responsible for this? It was the only thought that came to Shido's mind, right as the door opened up, and Ellen rushed inside.

"Shido, that's enough for today. I'll take over from here." She requested.

"But-" He replied.

"No arguments, you and the others need to focus more on trying to bring Origami back home. We'll need to wait until Tohka recovers before we make any more progress with her." Ellen insisted, not wanting to risk Tohka's health.

Shido sighed, finally relenting to her request.

"Alright... my parents are probably worried by now." He replied, getting up.

Walking out of the room, Mio and Kotori looked at him before following.

"Hey, are you OK?" Kotori asked.

"Honestly, I don't know." He admitted.

Mio went silent for a moment and stopped where she stood. This caught the attention of the two who soon noticed tears falling onto the floor, signifying she was crying.

"I'm... I'm so sorry, for all of this." She suddenly apologized.

She took a step back before running off.

"Wait, what are you talking about? Mio!" Kotori shouted.

"Don't follow me!" She screamed.

Kotori's expression became one of confusion and worry, while Shido put a hand on her shoulder.

"Kotori, head back and let my parents know we'll be coming soon enough... I think I know where she's going." Shido said, trying to reassure her.

She watched Shido sadly as he ran off, putting a hand over her fist.

* * *

Mio ran through the city, wiping her eyes as she shed tears.

'Why did I even come back if things like this are all that happen? I thought I saved this world, so why does it feel like nothing changed!?' She thought, still running towards her destination.

After continued her sprint for a few more minutes, the still damaged area of Tenguu Viewpoint entered her view. She finally stopped by collapsing on her knees.

Not too long after, Shido arrived at the scene, having called where the Spirit of Origin chose to run to.

"Mio!" He called out.

He reached out to her, only for Mio to slap his hand away to his surprise.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed, still crying.

"Hey, just calm down..." He said softly, trying to avoid upsetting her unstable state of mind.

"No, I won't! How can anyone ask me to calm down after what I saw? Especially when you died!?" Mio screamed again, this time even louder.

Shido was left speechless by her reaction.

"Ever since I was born, I've tried to ignore it, but I can't! Whenever something related to my powers appears in this world, something bad happens... I ruin something beautiful, I ruin this world... so, it would better if I didn't exist anymore!" She cried.

Shido's eyes widened.

"Don't you dare say that, now or ever again!" Shido screamed back.

Mio's eyes widened at that.

"That's not true! It never was and it never will be! We're fine, and I'm still here because you saved me! You didn't ruin anything!" He kept screaming.

"You're only saying that to make me feel better! I'm a living hazard, and once other people find out about me, they won't want to risk it! They would say that I don't deserve to exist! That's why-" Mio retorted.

"I don't care about what other people think!" Shido exclaimed.

Hearing that, the First Spirit suddenly went speechless in the same manner she left Shido only moments.

"Even if the entire world chooses to reject you, that won't change the fact I'll always accept you, and I don't want you to leave!" He shouted.

Mio's eyes widened at that.

"We all make mistakes and have regrets, and no matter what happened... think of all the good you've brought! Kotori and Origami are still alive because of you! You brought me back to life! Most of all, you saved the world from complete destruction, giving everyone still the chance to keep living!" He shouted.

"Shido?" Mio breathed in surprise.

"You had no reason to help the world, and yet you still chose to save it! That's why you aren't a monster or the Devil... you're the Goddess that gave this world hope!" Shido announced, his voice loud enough an echo went out.

The Spirit of Origin's eyes widened, feeling themselves water a bit.

"Take my hand... that's the only thing you need to do right now!" He exclaimed, holding it out to her.

Mio felt tears flood from her eyes again, and rose hand out to take his... only to literally freeze up without warning.

Shido was confused by her strange reaction, only to suddenly be flung back as rainbow Reiryoku immediately blasted off her body, causing her to gasp in surprise.

"SHIDO!"

* * *

Back at DEM Industries, the analysts suddenly saw warning readings pop up on their screens, but the Spacequake Alarm failed to go off, so no one knew of the danger.

"Hey, what's going on?" Elliot asked, sweating with worry.

"We have readings of rampant Reiryoku going off, and they're not triggering the alarm... it's Mio!" Shiizaki responded.

Elliot's eyes widened.

"Wait, but I thought her powers were-" He replied.

He suddenly paused, remembering what happened with Shido and then how he had to drain Tohka's power earlier just to talk with her. With that thought in mind, a possibility suddenly formed.

"Oh no... did he restore the ability to use her powers?" Elliot thought aloud.

"This is bad." Westcott stated.

Elliot turned as he saw his old friend walk in, a noticeable bead of sweat going down his face.

"It seems that due to how they became linked to one another when Mio revived him, the absorption of Tohka's powers must have given her back a trace of the strength she used to save the world. That's causing her power to suddenly start overflowing, and if something isn't done... she'll implode and destroy all of Tenguu City." He revealed, making everyone panic.

"We need to stop it before it's too late!" Elliot exclaimed.

"It's no good... based on these readings, she'll implode within in the next minute! We don't have any time to make it and do anything!" Minowa replied.

As the wheelchair-bound former mage gasped at that, Westcott sweated more.

"There's only one hope right now, and it's that Shido can save Mio from herself. I had a feeling this would happen, but never that he'd start with her, though I guess what's done is done..."

* * *

Shido got on his feet, and as he saw what was happening with Mio, he made a determined face, setting his resolve to save her.

 _'After all, this boy is now walking the same road you did for us!' Westcott's thoughts echoed, right as the very scene above happened._

"My powers, why are they... I thought I couldn't use them!" Mio panicked.

Taking his first step forward, Shido pushed himself closer to Mio, who noticed him approaching. More waves of her Reiryoku struck him as he did, making her start to cry as he kept screaming.

"No, don't come any closer! I could kill you!" Mio begged, unable to take the sight.

Shido walked through the Reiryoku, making her gasp.

"Don't say that Mio... remember, I said that I'd always accept you!" He shouted, revealing he hadn't been harmed at all.

"You're OK..." She breathed.

"I won't say I understand everything that's made you feel anxious, but no matter what happens now? I promise to ease all of your worries!" Shido grunted, still pushing forward.

He soon reached his hand out, trying to grab hers.

"That's why... that's why I'll make it to you!" Shido screamed.

"Shido..." Mio cried.

"Now take my hand, and everything will be fine!" Shido begged.

Reaching her own hand out, she tried to grab his... only for her eyes to widen as a huge surge of Reiryoku swallowed him, warning her power's implosion was getting closer. Mio was flung into the air, threatening to make Shido's efforts for naught.

'I have to make it, I... I have to!' He shouted at himself.

A silhouette moved behind him, resembling a grown woman's, and put her hand on his. Shido failed to notice this as he managed to push himself forward, jumping high enough to reach her.

"Mio!" He exclaimed.

"Shido!" Mio exclaimed in return.

Reaching her hand out, the two managed to grab each other's hands, and once they did? Shido held both her hands close as they spun in the air.

 **"Purify!"**

The rampaging Reiryoku suddenly had its movements lessen from their wild state before calming into a simple flow. Finally, every bit of burst into sparkles around the two, both of them floating back to the ground.

As the two looked at each other, Shido noticed the worries in Mio's currently tear stained eyes had vanished.

"Shido... thank you." She smiled, sniffling a bit.

Upon hearing her words, he bashfully rubbed his cheek with a finger and looked away.

"Hey, it wasn't much." He replied.

"No, and don't you say something cheesy like anyone would have done it... because what you clearly did was all you." She denied, tears of joy filling her eyes as she looked at him.

"Uh, well..." Shido tried to say something in response.

At that moment, his eyes suddenly widened as an invisible blast struck his backside, making him freeze up as he fell into Mio's arms.

"Shido!?" Mio shouted in a panic.

Unlike with Tohka's attack, he was still alive and Mio could sense that. However, that still didn't tell her what happened due to the nature of the unseen attack that had hit him.

"Oh no, please don't tell me this is a delayed reaction from the damage you took!" Mio exclaimed.

"No, this is something else... something worse..." Shido answered, his eyes closed from the pain.

 _"TARGET LOCKED: PREPARE TO ENGAGE DEVIL!"_

Mio suddenly paused at that, slowly looking behind her to see a bunch of Bandersnatch floating overhead of them. Widening her eyes, she turned Shido around to see the missing patch of clothing from where he had been struck.

She could let out two simple words once she realized just what kind of situation they were in.

"Uh oh..." She whimpered.

* * *

Nearly everyone in DEM began to panic as they saw the Mio and Shido surrounded by the Bandersnatch army of machines, with only a few such as Elliot and Westcott showing any signs of being calm. Even then, the two were still worried.

"Damn it, are they already trying to capture her again like 30 years ago? Was that why they sent that machine!?" Elliot questioned.

"You truly don't know when to give up on your selfish desires for whatever you please, do you... DeNA?" Westcott said with a scowl.

Knowing that Ellen was currently dealing with Tohka and most of the AST was recovering, he immediately got in contact with a certain member of the latter group.

"Head to the area of Tenguu Viewpoint, and fast." He ordered.

The person he was calling immediately suited themselves up, taking a deep breath before smiling at the thought of wrecking some machines and walking into a room where a unique weapon was stored.

"It's go time." She whispered excitedly.

* * *

Kotori sighed as she returned to the Takamiya Household, where she saw Shinji sipping some coffee as he worked on his latest project and Mana putting some plates into the dish washer.

"Ah, welcome back Kotori." Shinji greeted, waving to her without looking.

"Hey..." Kotori replied with a sigh.

Upon hearing this, Mana blinked a bit before closing the washer with her foot and walking over to her.

"You're troubled over something, what's wrong?" She asked.

The Spirit blushed and she tried to say otherwise... only for Mana to place her finger on Kotori's mouth before she could.

"I've had Shinji and your father, as well as all your mother's experience when it comes to girls and boys, to tell you're troubled over something right now. Don't try to fake it. Especially when you left with Mio and Shido, yet you came back alone." She stated, wagging her free finger.

"Aw man... I hate it when you read my teenage mind." Kotori replied in a mixture of a groan and a growl.

Mana patted her back and brought Kotori onto the couch to sit with her.

"Nothing goes beyond the two of us if you'd rather have no one else know about this, as Shinji never pays attention to this kind of stuff." She reassured her.

"Huh, someone say my name?" Shinji questioned.

Mana immediately motioned to him as he proved her earlier comment, causing Kotori to briefly chuckle at it.

"My point is that I want you to know that I'm here to listen if you need it, just like your mom is when she has the free time to be here with you." Mana promised.

"Wow... thanks." Kotori replied, smiling a bit.

"So, what's on your mind?" Mana asked.

Kotori didn't reply at first, but then... she gave a sigh and looked at her second mother figure with a troubled look.

"Well, it's all connected with why Shido and Mio aren't here... I guess the first thing is I need to ask-" She started.

"Is how long have we known that you were a Spirit?" Mana guessed.

Kotori's eyes widened before her jaw dropped, forcing Mana to close her mouth for her.

"You knew!?" She shouted in disbelief.

"Did it not occur to you we might know something after Westcott talked with you?" She questioned, smiling a bit.

"I... well you never... shut up!" Kotori shouted, blushing a bit.

Mana playfully rolled her eyes at that, finding Kotori's puffed up cheeks for a brief pouting quite the adorable sight.

"Alright, I've had my fun. Go ahead." Mana apologized.

"Well, you see... Mio ran off for some reason and Shido went after her. Ever since she's appeared it's just... it feels like the two of them are already so close." She admitted, sighing near the end.

Nodding her head, the matriarch of the Takamiya Household scooted a bit closer.

"I get it, you feel jealous because of your own feelings for Shido, don't you?" Mana realized, making Kotori's eyes widen.

"You knew that too!?" She exclaimed.

Mana giggled a bit, though she shook her head to Kotori's surprise.

"Haruko is the one who realized it... after you forgot to close your diary when she and Tatsuo's took time off for your last birthday." She revealed.

Kotori blushed as she covered her mouth, nervously blushing over what else her mom managed to learn.

"It's just... what am I supposed to do? I don't want to be selfish and keep Mio away or hate her for just waltzing in, but... now I know one of his classmates is in love with him. How do I know what Shido will do? I don't even know if he's noticed the signs, as while I've tried to hide mine, he's never noticed the few things I can't hide." Kotori admitted, sadly looking at the ground.

"Tell me Kotori, how do you want to be with my son? Do you want him for your own or do you just want to love him period?" Mana asked.

"I... I don't know, OK!? And how are you supposed to answer that for me? Polygamy was illegal at the time you and my parents were ever considering it!" Kotori screamed, her voice a mixture of rage and sorrow.

Mana hugged her, making Kotori breathe a bit as she started to settle down.

"Actually Kotori? We do know, because... Shinji had to see that very situation himself." She replied, giving her a look that proved she knew.

"He... he did?" Kotori asked in surprise.

Shido's mother nodded her head, and took a deep breath as she looked towards the window.

"When some time had passed since Mio met us, it wasn't long before I noticed that she was starting to show signs of attraction to Shinji, and I eventually pointed this out to him. The moment he was aware, I could tell how he felt. He knew me first, and he wasn't going to betray that just for the sake of lust or anything similar, yet he still had to live with the fact that he couldn't accept how she felt." Mana revealed.

"Oh my... wait, then doesn't that mean Shido inheriting his father's teenage appearance is why Mio has any interest in him?" Kotori replied.

"That's something I don't know. I can read teenage behaviors, not people's minds." Mana shrugged.

Clearing her throat, she got back on track.

"Anyways, I think it wasn't just Shinji that knew. Ellen herself told Mio nothing could happen between them. Heck, for all I know? Maybe she already knew before that. That made it painful when, after she saved the world, the Japanese government announced polygamy was now legal for the sake of preventing Humanity's extinction. That's something that really hurt Shinji, because-" She continued.

"Because of that change in law, I'd have been willing to marry you and her if it meant she didn't have to suffer loving someone who couldn't return that love." Shinji replied.

The two girls turned as they heard this, seeing Shinji had briefly stopped his work.

"Unfortunately, by the time she came back into our lives... it was too late. Age is still too big of an issue for most people, and after being married to just Mana for so long, I no longer feel that way about Mio. There's a reason only 30% of people do polygamous marriages." He continued, a slightly guilty look on his face.

Kotori went silent, thinking about what she just heard.

"Just know this Kotori, your situation is similar, but the difference is you have a choice. The only advice I can truly give you is don't hesitate and end up being too late to make it, and most of all... don't treat Shido picking someone as defeat unless you're sure you aren't willing to share him." Mana advised.

'Don't hesitate to make a choice...' She thought.

Thinking for a moment, and then recalling Origami was still missing in the unknown location tied to her Sephira Crystal, her thoughts formed themselves.

'She loves him too... and not only that, but it sounds like if it meant she could be with him, then she'd have no problems with sharing him with another girl. If that's the case, then I have to find her, but for now? It doesn't mean that I can't try to be the lead in his harem if that could work out!' Kotori decided, making a promise to herself.

Immediately getting on her feet, she looked at Mana with a serious expression.

"Excuse me, but I need to find where Shido went. Do either of you know where Mio might have run off to?" She asked.

"Depends, what happened before she ran off?" Shinji asked.

Kotori took a moment to explain where trouble began for them up to why she came back on her own, and after taking a moment to think on it...

"Ah, she's at Tenguu Viewpoint then." Shinji realized.

"Really?" Kotori replied, blinking in slight disbelief.

"Mio has always been fairly emotional and empathetic. When she feels she did something or someone needs her? She'll help. However, it also means having too much happen can overwhelm her to the point she'll blame herself. This situation sounds like that, and Shido likely went after her before she did something she'd regret." Mana explained.

Kotori suddenly paled at that and immediately took off, though briefly crashed into the wall due to forgetting about how her now fully activated Spirit powers affected her.

"Yeah, I need to get used to that..." She reminded herself.

Stumbling for a moment to the door, Kotori finally went outside, taking another minute before she could actually start dashing towards the scene.

"Well... that was an interesting 10 minutes." Shinji remarked.

"I get the feeling that soon enough, we'll have something even bigger. Though not necessarily for the better..." Mana admitted, showing a mixture of wonder and worry.

* * *

Mio sweated a bit at the sight of the Bandersnatch swarming around her, wondering what she should do... and then remembered what just happened between her and Shido.

"Wait a minute, of course! I should be able to use my powers now!" She realized.

 **"Ain Soph Aur!"**

Holding her hands out in a certain way, she waited for a certain something to form in the sky and wipe out the machines, who waited in preparation to counter it...

Only silence followed, making them all look at her as sweat began dripping down her face.

"Crap, was that just some random fluke because I was all emotional and upset?" Mio wondered, her mouth quivering a bit.

Looking at her Teddy Bear, she suddenly grabbed it and tried to use her powers.

To her horror, what she had tried to do, which was remove the damage that had been done to it... ended up happening just like she intended.

"Uh... I know, it must just be my Angels that I can't use!" She laughed, starting to get scared.

Holding up her hands, she gave a shout as she tried using a beam attack like Origami, but once again she didn't have any results. This made her go completely pale as it became clear she was unable to fight back despite being able to use Reiryoku again.

"Are you kidding me? Why is the world deciding to mock me now of all possible times!?" She demanded with a panicked scream.

The Bandersnatch all rushed at her, only for a bunch of missiles to strike the front wave of their forces, making Mio's eyes widen.

Turning her head around, the sight of a woman with wavy brown-red hair, icy blue eyes, and a face that seemed to be stuck in what looked to be either a glare or a smug look entered her view.

She was wearing a CR-Unit not unlike Ellen's, but with a more auburn/magenta color scheme and a scarlet-colored device attached to her back.

"That face... is that you Jessica?" Mio gasped.

"Looks like you still get yourself in trouble, don't you?" Jessica chuckled before aiming a wink at her.

Upon hearing that snarky but playful reply from her old friend, Mio gave a playful chuckle in return.

"It's definitely you." She replied.

The Bandersnatch immediately charged at Jessica, who immediately began firing at them again, even creating some short-range weapons to any that tried to get close.

 _"SPEED IS INEFFICIENT, CONVERTING TO AIR MODE VERSION 2!"_

Shifting a part on their backs to the front, and altering their physique slightly, the artificial wizards tripled their speed, allowing them to dodge the Scarlet Licorice's missiles. A few got cut by the close-range weapons, but soon swarmed her.

"Scarlet Licorice, activate the Territory!" Jessica shouted.

 _"RELEASE ANTI-TERRITORY FIELD!"_

Right as a familiar green field formed around Jessica, the Bandersnatch all unleashed a red equivalent, which immediately shattering Jessica's to pieces.

"What!?" She gasped in horror.

All of the Bandersnatch began to swarm around her, tearing into the Scarlet Licorice as she struggled to shake them off.

"Damn it! Get off me, you stupid piles of scrap metal!" Jessica screamed, attacking the ones clawing at her with her close-range weapons.

"This is bad... if only I could help her." Mio whimpered.

Holding Shido closer to her, Mio felt her body shake.

"Shido... Kotori... Origami... Tohka... please, any of you! We need your help! We... no, I can't do this on my own!" She begged, closing her eyes so she didn't have to watch what was happening.

At that very moment, a rainbow glow emitted from her chest.

* * *

Within a strange realm, Shido was seen floating like he was lying down, and slowly felt his eyes open.

The moment they did, he gasped as he saw the same lines that made the other _Sephira Crystal Realms_ that a Spirit entered if they weren't full linked to said crystal.

However, in comparison to Tohka and Origami's? This one had a shape that was completely incomprehensible to him, like it was something hidden within a mosaic.

"What the? Where am I?" He asked, looking confused.

Suddenly, he felt something touch him, and he turned to look... only he didn't see anyone or anything.

 ** _"Shido... don't be scared."_**

At that moment, he stumbled back a bit, seeing some of the mosaic move enough that he could make out the silhouette of someone. The voice was a different story, as it was clearly feminine when he heard it.

"I don't recognize your voice... who are you?" He asked, looking nervous.

 ** _"I can't tell you, but don't misunderstand me... it isn't that I won't tell you. I literally cannot share who I am with you."_**

The figure held out their hands, sending something into Shido's body and making him briefly widen.

 ** _"You now hold my mantle, so protect Mio... and all the children born of her power, for now it is your role to be the one that protects this world from ruin."_**

"I... I don't get it... what do you mean?" Shido asked.

 ** _"Now go, fight with the power of_** _*STATIC*_ ** _at your side... and stop the Diabolus ex Nihilo Association from ruining all you hold dear."_**

At that moment, Shido felt his senses fade.

 ** _"From this moment on, I name you... my Spiritual Successor!"_**

"Wait! I still don't know what you're trying to do-" Shido questioned.

* * *

Jessica screamed as a Bandersnatch jabbed its claw into her shoulder, and she crashed into the ground.

 _"WIZARD HAS BEEN NEUTRALIZED, RESUMING CAPTURE OF DEVIL!"_

"Please, help us..." Mio breathed, still closing her eyes.

As the Bandersnatch launched themselves at the duo, it seemed like nothing could help them, but the moment they were within range of the two?

One of them was launched back by an unknown barrier.

 _"ERROR! UNKNOWN VARIABLE DETECTED, ACTIVATING ENIGMA PROTOCOL!"_

All of the other Bandersnatch stood back and tried to analyze the situation, having already ceased all movement since the one unit struck the barrier.

 **[** **Tenkai Knights: Tenkai Wolf Awakens** **]**

"Huh?" Mio blinked, finally opening her eyes.

She gasped as she saw Shido suddenly get up, the light in his eyes shining brightly to make the seriousness of his current expression. Holding his hand out, he announced a single word that would begin the first in a chain of events that would change everything for Tenguu City.

 **"Ekenor!"**

The sky suddenly turned a bright golden color for who knows how far as a huge pillar of light that changed colors every three seconds went into the air, getting the attention of everyone, and literally _everyone_ in the city!

* * *

From where Kotori was, she suddenly stumbled as she saw the light.

"No way, is that Mio's doing!?" She gasped.

Deciding not to waste time, she immediately hurried over, failing to notice Shido's classmates that were seeing the very phenomenon themselves.

"Uh... is this something like that Green Flash people sometimes see, but in gold?" Hiroto questioned, looking at the trio.

Said trio all gave a mere sound of uncertainty, looking at one another.

"This is..." Ai sweated.

"Well, it might be..." Mai mumbled.

"O-Or maybe it's..." Mii stuttered.

Hiroto immediately got nervous and downed the rest of his soda.

* * *

Back inside the Metatron Crystal's protective realm, Origami felt her body shiver a bit as she felt the power.

"Sephirot... Kabbalah..." She mumbled.

Her eyes suddenly widened, and got up to look in a certain direction.

"Ql...ph...th..." She said, though clearly not saying the entirety of the word.

 **"Thaumiel."**

She formed her Astral Dress before completely disappearing from the realm.

* * *

Everyone in the DEM's analyzing room immediately froze at the sight of the pillar, knowing exactly what they were seeing. Westcott and Elliot especially.

"It can't be..." Elliot breathed.

"How is this possible, I thought..." Westcott questioned, his eyes widening as he quickly pieced it together.

Within the room where Ellen and Tohka were, the former's eyes shook at the sight. As that was happening, Tohka woke up, feeling her body recover as she sensed the energy from the pillar.

"Whoa... what is that?" She asked, feeling like she recognized it somehow.

Ellen put a hand to her mouth, feeling tears leak out of her eyes.

"Uh... hey, what's wrong with you?" Tohka asked, looking confused.

"I don't believe it... part of you is still here!" Ellen cried, closing her eyes after speaking.

Tohka blinked in confusion.

* * *

Mio stared as in Shido's hand, she saw what looked like two colorless crystals with one side of their edges chipped off and fused to the other, with a golden ring circling around the middle. The outlines were plated with what looked like iridescent crystals, making it look somewhat like a cyborg.

"Impossible..." Jessica gasped, recognizing it.

"That's... that's an Angel! But how?" Mio asked.

Shido's eyes finally regained their senses, making him blink in confusion as he saw the Angel in his hands.

"Huh? What the... where am I? What's going on? Most of all, what am I holding in my hand?" He asked.

All of the Bandersnatch suddenly stepped back as they got results.

 _"WARNING! OBJECT VERIFIED, WARNING PROTOCOLS ARE AT-"_

Their computer systems never got a chance to finish that sentence as Shido felt his arms get pulled ahead, followed by the pillar of light shining brighter, which blinded Mio and Jessica as... something happened, with the pillar exploding!

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

Kotori covered her eyes as it reached where she was, and when she could see again... the sky returned to normal, making her gasp.

"Holy Freaking Shit!" She screamed.

Doubling her efforts to reach Tengu Viewpoint, she arrived... only to see the damage left from the battle with Tohka had vanished! All that was left was Shido, Mio, and Jessica, the latter of which no longer had the Scarlet Licorice.

"What... the heck?" She questioned, looking around.

 _"ERROR... ERROR... ERROR..."_

Turning to the side, a single Bandersnatch's head was left behind, soon fizzling out before its form dissolved into nothingness.

"Oh boy... I'm getting a feeling that it's better I didn't see what happened..." Kotori decided.

Looking around, she grabbed the three before heading towards DEM Industries' HQ building, never being more grateful for her increased strength as a Spirit than at this moment.

* * *

In the shadows of an unknown location, the unknown figure who lead the unknown group that was now known as the DeNA, was sitting in the same position as before... right as the person identified by scar on their face walked in.

"What is it?" The boss asked.

"Boss, the Bandersnatch failed, though based on their last footage... it seems they mistook Genesis for Devil, meaning we'll need to help them better identify the differences between them." They explained.

Humming a bit, the boss looked at them.

"I see, though how did they fail? Genesis should still be weakened right now, and based on what you're telling me, Efreet was not involved." The boss asked.

The one with a scar nodded their head.

"Well, based on what we could gather, it seems that... Ekenor was involved." They answered.

"Oh?" The boss replied with interest.

Right at that moment, the boss grabbed a cigar before lighting it.

"Interesting... that Angel should have disappeared after the events before Genesis' birth. Perhaps that trio of brats has been sneakier than I expected." The boss wondered.

Taking a moment to think an idea entered the enigmatic figure's head.

"Then we'll need a different approach. I want you to go out, and deal with this situation... Minerva." The boss decided, smirking a bit.

At that moment, some of the shadows moved, revealing the tanned skin of a woman, with eyes that looked completely lifeless.

"As you wish." She agreed, placing a fist over her chest.

"Glad to hear it." The boss replied, chuckling a bit as they saw her walk out of the room.

* * *

Beeping soon reached Shido's ears as he found himself in the DEM HQ once again, this time in a medical area unlike the one he had been in prior.

"Look at who finally woke up." Jessica remarked.

Turning his head, he saw the wizard in question leaning against the wall, wearing a sling over her right arm.

"Hey, aren't you Jessica Bailey? A member of the AST?" Shido asked.

"That's me, and... let me just say whatever you pulled off near the end of that situation? It saved all of our skins." She confirmed, withholding any mention of Ekenor from him.

After all, it was already crazy enough she found a repaired Scarlet Licorice back in its storage area.

"I can barely remember what I did, just that I got hit by something, then woke up, and then... well, I'm here after that." He replied, holding his head as he failed to recall what happened.

Jessica shrugged before motioning towards Mio.

"Anyways, she should be waking up soon. She's an old friend, so if I find out something happened after I leave... then you're dead, got it?" Jessica warned.

Shido got the chills _and_ felt his blood go cold after he heard that, quickly nodding his head.

"Good, now see ya." She replied, walking out of the room with a brief wave of her good arm.

'Oh god, that girl's scary...' Shido thought.

Right at that moment, he heard Mio shift a bit, and she woke up to look at him.

"Shido?" She mumbled.

"Hey there Mio, are you OK?" He asked.

Yawning a bit and shaking the sleep out of her system, she smiled at him.

"I'm fine, not sure why I even fell asleep, although it seemed kind of familiar... warm even." Mio answered, putting a hand over her heart for a moment.

Shido sighed in relief, glad to see she was feeling better after her small breakdown earlier on.

"Hey, Shido? Mind coming closer? I need to tell you something." Mio requested.

"Uh, sure." He replied.

Shido got on his feet, and walked closer to Mio... who suddenly cupped his face.

"Mio, what are you-" Shido questioned, feeling confused.

"I finally get it now." Mio interjected, gently grabbing his face with her hands.

Shido was confused, until...

"Mmph!"

 **[** **High School DxD: Omoi, Yosemasu** **]**

His entire face went red as Mio gave him a kiss, leaving him speechless.

It took a minute before she pulled away, looking at him with a smile with a happy blush plastered across it.

"Mio..." He breathed, struggling to find any words.

"When I first saw you, nostalgia hit me at how much you looked like Shin did at your age, but I knew you weren't him. That resemblance made me recall the one-sided love I had for him due to your mother already being in his life, yet part of me couldn't help but also slightly blush when certain things happened between us. I figured it was just remembering those old feelings and tried my best to keep them at bay." She stated, still smiling.

Shido felt his face steaming a bit.

"However, the words you said to me, and the actions you just took when I blamed myself for everything that happened to the world? It made me realize that Shin never reached that far for me in all the time I spent with him. Now that I've seen all you'll say and all that you'll do... I finally get why I've been feeling this way. I don't think I met Shin to fall in love with him. I think deep down, I knew he would lead me to the one I'd truly fall for... you." Mio admitted.

His eyes widened at that.

"That's why I can say this without any doubt in my mind... Shido Takamiya? I love you with all my heart, and that won't change even if you don't feel the same for me." Mio smiled, her eyes shining a bit.

After a few seconds, Mio took Shido's hands, which is when he felt his heart melt.

"Mio..." He breathed.

Before she could even react, Shido closed her eyes and gave her a deep kiss, making her release a muffled gasp. She soon closed her eyes as well, shedding happy tears as she returned it, causing both of them to miss the door suddenly opening up.

They held their kiss for a solid five minutes before they finally stopped for air, looking at one another before Mio rested her head on his chest.

"So, this is what it feels like to love and be loved in return. It was worth the wait." She smiled.

"I don't get it myself, but... it feels like there's always been something between us, long before I ever met you. I'll admit that I don't really know anything about loving someone, but... I'll do my best to be a good boyfriend for you." Shido replied.

"Thank you." Mio replied, sniffling before hugging Shido close.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

Outside the door, which had also closed again without their notice, Kotori was seen covering her face as she cried... only hear tears were ones of sorrow.

"Guess that... that I was too late." Kotori sniffled.

She quickly ran off, causing a few people to swiftly dodge and give a confused look at why she was running by.

* * *

Mana and Shinji were both watching a news report about the pillar of light that was seen, with Westcott answering best he could about it.

"That light was where Shido and Mio were, do you think..." Shinji wondered.

"Had to be Mio, no one else could do that. Though the question is why are her powers back already? More than that, what exactly did she do at that very moment?" Mana answered, giving an expression of concern.

At that moment, they heard the door open and turned to see Kotori walk in, with her hair covering her eyes.

"Oh, welcome back Kotori. How did..." Mana greeted.

She noticed Kotori walk ahead, going to her room as she completely ignored her, making both adults look worried.

"Mana, you might want to go talk to her... I get the feeling this might be personal female problem." he whispered.

"Yeah, I'll go do that." She agreed.

Heading upstairs into the room Kotori often borrowed, Mana noticed her just sitting on the bed facing away from her.

"Hey, Kotori... are you alright?" She asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

At that moment, she gasped as she saw Kotori's teary face, flashing a smile that tried to look strong yet wasn't trying to hide it was fake either. A smile meant to lie to the one making it alone.

"No, not one bit, because... because..." She answered, her voice shaking.

"Kotori, take a deep breath and _then_ tell me what's wrong." Mana suggested.

Sniffling for a moment, she took a deep breath before looking at Mana, sniffling once again as she wiped her eyes.

"I... I just got my dreams crushed!" Kotori cried.

Mana's eyes widened, hugging her close with a slight look of guilt on her face due to what she had said before Kotori left.

"Shido doesn't want a harem I'm assuming?" She guessed.

"N-no... it isn't that, I just saw with my own eyes that I can never be the girl closest... closest to his heart no matter what I do." Kotori clarified, still crying and sniffling.

"I get it, you were hoping if the harem option was the route he took, you could at least be the head." Mana replied in understanding, rubbing her back.

They just stayed there as Kotori let out all of her tears until finally, she couldn't shed anymore.

"Are you feeling better now?" Mana asked.

"Yeah... I'm OK, and it isn't like I've completely lost Shido entirely." Kotori confirmed, feeling a slight headache and a bit dehydrated from her crying.

She took a deep breath, laying herself on the bed.

"But for now? I think... I'm going to take a break on anything related to love, until I don't let this overtake my mind." Kotori decided.

"Which is perfectly fine. Your heart may not have been broken, but sometimes you still need to let a damaged heart be mended before you're ready to experience romance again." Mana agreed, rubbing her head.

Kotori soon went to sleep, leaving Mana to silently leave the room as she let her rest.

* * *

 **We've finally gotten some answers from Tohka and now we know that she's just like Mio, being a Spirit from the start, rather than starting as a Human... although by this story's standards, that's still technically Human in a sense. Remember, as mentioned in Chapter 2, Mio is considered less a different species and more of the pinnacle to what the Seirei Era is.**

 **Also, we finally have a name for the villainous faction... the "Diabolus ex Nihilo Association", or DeNA as Westcott referred to them. To those wondering what that means? It translates to "Devil from Nothing", which fits this group quite well since not even Westcott knows what their main goal is. Minerva from Date A Strike is also among them, though acting a bit OOC... which I'll say now is _completely_ intentional as you'll find out later on.**

 **Finally, we also have Mio regaining access to her powers! Well... sort of. The damage to her bear was fixed when she tried them, but she can't use her Angels or use it offensively. I will say that whatever happens with the villains, this is a rare story where Mio's powers aren't at a story breaker level, but I'm not hindering them either. For what I mean by that, you'll need to wait a little longer.**

 **Other things we've revealed are Tohka doesn't seem to know about or recognize the apparent brown-haired version of herself, but it looks like there's still some kind of connection that was enough to make her collapse from simply thinking about it. Most of all, Shido now has an Angel that completely shocked the Hermetic Trio upon seeing it, with their words (and the DeNA's boss) clearly recognizing it.**

 **Ekenor is a unique Angel, as based on what I've searched for things connected to the Sephirot, this one seems to _only_ exist within the Sephirot, because I failed to find any other traces of it. That's why I gave it to Shido, because like the Abyss representation he has in this story, you have to really look for it to know it's there. Ekenor's also very unique compared to other Angels, but that's something I can't reveal just yet.**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	6. Secrets of the Sephirot

**We're back for the next chapter, and I'm excited for what I'm bringing into this one. Especially in regards to the flashback of the chapter, as up until now, you haven't really seen the defining moment that made the Westcott of this story end up a good guy instead of the corrupt business director he is in canon, and believe me... it was _hard_ to do this without making him too OOC.**

 **Also, after 5 chapters that all took place throughout the course of a single day? This chapter will finally avert that. With how they still don't know Origami has left her "Crystal Realm" as we'll start officially calling it, they need to pass the time somehow, and what better way to do that by getting everyone back in school? *giggles* Especially since I think we all know who'll be joining Shido's class :3**

 **Before we begin today's chapter, there's a few things I need to elaborate on, including something I only just realized after replying to a question someone asked me. In this story, while Mio is as strong as she is in canon, the others are all even stronger due to how much more power was used when the Sephira Crystals were created. Due to going over her limits to save the world, the Spirits are 90% as strong as Mio normally. (They're equal in their Inverse Forms.)**

 **Oh, and... I should probably warn all of you about this in advance so none of you are caught off guard. There's a scene early in this chapter that'll imply something you'll figure out just by seeing it. While it might seem out of place, I promise you there's a good reason for it that I'll reveal in the end notes, and because it plays a part in how the harem will eventually form. Just trust me on this.**

 **Last thing I'll mention before I begin is that the direction I'm taken with Minerva has been well-received, especially the review by "kingpariah", who said he expects that he might actually feel sorry for her. I didn't expect to hear that at all, because I wasn't even trying to do that, especially with how Minerva's a villain at the level of Westcott when it comes to nastiness and immorality. *giggles* I wonder how you'll all react to the actual reveal?**

 **I think that's all I need to mention for now, so time to get this chapter started!**

* * *

 **[Chapter 6 - Truth of the Sephirot]**

 _A mage was seen rushing through a field atop a Horse, looking behind them to see the Bandersnatch that were in pursuit. Taking out their wand, the Bandersnatch all reacted._

 ** _"Ventus Excelsus!"_**

 _Instead of an attack like the machines expected, the Horse whinnied before it jumped off the ground._

 _Once it did, a sudden burst of wind launched it high into the sky without even the slightest sign of fear, making the group of Bandersnatch unable to properly react to the trick and crash into a nearby hillside._

 _"Take that you scrap-brained bastards!" They exclaimed mockingly, a big smirk on their face._

 _Landing on a higher area of land, the mage in question successfully rode to the secret location where the Hermetic Trio lived, quickly entering the Mage's hiding realm. Upon arriving, the sight of a young Jessica came as she suddenly turned around, seeing the mage's steed come to a stop._

 _"Ellen!" She exclaimed._

 _Removing their hood, a teenage Ellen was revealed to be the rider as her friend rushed to her._

 _"Thank goodness, we were all worried when you took so long to get back." Jessica said in relief._

 _"I got intercepted by a few Bandersnatch on the way back. Luckily, those machines don't seem to register our spells being used for non-combat reasons for now, so I used that to my advantage." Ellen admitted._

 _"Which is why you're the best mage among all the women here." Jessica remarked._

 _Ellen looked away, giving an awkward chuckle._

 _"No, that's my Aunt Reine no matter what people tell me, and I'm not even close to her level." She disagreed._

 _"At least you're humble... oh, and you might wanna go see Isaac." Jessica replied, soon giving a downcast look._

 _Ellen's eyes widened at that._

 _"Oh no, did Ike do something-" She asked worriedly._

 _"No! He didn't go anywhere or do anything, but... he's starting to let everything push him near a breaking point. I think he needs some support while Elliot's still out gathering new materials." Jessica clarified._

 _Sighing a bit, she nodded her head as she went to find her troubled childhood friend._

 _"This is insane..." She quietly breathed._

 _It was annoying enough how Isaac and Elliot had begun pining for her affections since their voices began to drop and her chest began to swell, but Isaac in particular was equally troubled with the state of things that were happening with the mages._

 _The last few years had their futile conflict against the machines and their creators grow even worse._

 _Not only that, but many scouting missions began to show more and more of their fellow mages' hideouts had been destroyed. Finally, after a few months ago, the horrible truth came to light... they were all that was left._

 _Their hideout, the largest and best hidden of all, which housed around 500 magicians? Were the sole remains of their people._

 _'How much longer before Ike does something dangerous that he's likely not going to regret until it's too late? There has to be a way to help him, there has to!' She thought, tightening her fist._

 _After a bit, she found Isaac lying across his desk, making her gasp._

 _"Ike!?" She exclaimed worriedly._

 _She heard a groan, making her sigh in relief as he quickly revealed he had just fallen unconscious or something similar. Turning to look at Ellen, he rubbed his eyes before blinking himself awake._

 _"Oh, hey Ellen..." Isaac greeted._

 _"Dear god, are you even taking proper care of yourself anymore?" Ellen asked._

 _Taking a moment, he looked away and tried to answer, but before he could..._

 _"Actually, don't even answer that." She warned._

 _Sitting by his side, Ellen noticed the stressed out look on his face._

 _"What else can we do..." He asked her._

 _"Huh?" She blinked._

 _"I said what else can we do!?" He screamed._

 _Ellen nearly fell to the ground, which is when she saw Isaac shedding tears as he made a tight fist._

 _"There's only 500 of us left, and all in this one place... we can't hide forever. They'll find us one day and then erase all mages from this world. We can't fight them and win, so how do we keep ourselves alive to ourselves a future!? At this rate... all I can think of is Humanity's destruction, but if I went that road... then we'd be no different than those machines that kills, and then what would be the point?" Isaac questioned, his voice cracking._

 _Pausing for a moment, she soon put her hand over Isaac's, getting his attention._

 _"I don't know, but... we can't give up. Know that I'll stand by your side no matter what. Even if we weren't mages and we didn't have magic, I'd still fight by your side to find the answer." Ellen promised._

 _"Wait a minute..." Isaac breathed._

 _Replaying what he heard her say near the end of her reply, his eyes widened._

 _"Ellen, you're a genius!" He exclaimed._

 _"Huh?" She blinked, unsure of why he said that._

 _"What you just said, about if we didn't have magic! That's the answer we've been missing all long! Those things want us because we're mages, right?" Isaac explained._

 _Taking a moment, Ellen's eyes widened as she begun to understand his thoughts._

 _"Mages wouldn't be hunted... if we didn't have the magic to be considered as such! Ike, are you actually saying-" Ellen questioned._

 _"Nothing's impossible for a mage... not even finding a way to destroy all of the world's magic!" He exclaimed._

 _Her eyes widened, gasping at what he just declared, and yet she didn't think he was crazy for saying it. The way he said it sounded like someone who could truly make it happen._

* * *

 _From an area of the mages' home, a girl with long brown hair tied in a ponytail that still left most of her hair flowing out gave a bored yawn, looking through a telescope for any signs of danger._

 _Just as she was about to switch shifts with someone else, a sudden sound went off, making her turn._

 _"Hmm?" She blinked._

 _Looking where it came from, the sight of Elliot holding a bandaged arm could be seen, holding his fizzled wand before it broke from casting its last spell._

 _"Sound the alarm! The machines, they've found us!" He screamed._

 _"Huh?" The girl shook at that, sweat forming on her face._

 _A sudden smash was heard, showing a large machine like the one that killed the Hermetic Trio's parents fly through with another four behind it. The brunette girl felt her body shake before she turned around, slamming a spot on the wall._

 _*"RING!"*_

 _Everyone suddenly heard the sound, followed by lights flaring black to reflect the worst kind of warning... the compromise of their realm's location to the machines. Upon hearing this, Reine began to sweat._

 _"Damn it... everyone, gather all our valuables! Find all the children and get them out!" She shouted, having become the leader since her sister's death._

 _Quickly following Reine's orders, they all rushed out as she turned to a girl with blonde hair._

 _"Artemisia, go find your cousin and Isaac! Tell them we'll meet them by the mountain's lower points to evacuate!" Reine ordered._

 _"Right!" She replied._

 _Quickly dashing to where the duo was sitting, she opened the door._

 _"Guys, we've gotta hurry... to..."_

 _Artemisia's worlds trailed off as she saw Westcott leave a spell rune that marked a high magic concentration, while marking others in more hidden locations._

 _"Isaac, Ellen?" She blinked, looking worried._

 _"Don't worry, this is just the start for us mages." Westcott promised, smirking a bit._

 _Seeing his expression, she gasped at the fact it wasn't the frown most had known him for since his father's death. She didn't have long to think as Ellen grabbed her arm and made the three run off._

 _"He's right. This time, we'll actually fight... and come out as the winners!" Ellen promised._

 _What the two were saying left Artemisia confused, though it wasn't until they got outside that she started to get it, as all the mages were outside without issue... yet the machines seemed to be forcing their way in as if they only sensed mages inside the now vacant area._

 _"Alright, let's see how they like being the hunted!" Isaac smirked, holding up his wand._

 _Before anyone could react, their former home suddenly exploded, causing all of the machines to turn before the debris of large rock chunks pierced right through their armor. Everyone gasped as the normally unbeatable machines they feared... were swatted like flies!_

 _"No way..." Elliot breathed._

 _"Alright, now is anyone here interested in how I learned we can beat these machines for good?" Isaac questioned, showing a face resembling the one his present self was known for._

* * *

As the setting sun slowly made the sky turn dark, the sight of a car was seen driving up to the Takamiya household with Ellen in the driver's seat, while Shido and a familiar pair of Spirits sat in the back.

"Shido and Mio? Guess this is where I should say welcome home. As for you Tohka? Until we can find you a proper home here in Nankou, this is where you'll be staying as well." She stated.

"Yay..." Tohka replied with fake enthusiasm.

Giving a forced laugh, Shido opened the car door as he and Mio got out, while Tohka reluctantly opened up the door on her side. As she stood up, the sight of some kind of bracelet was seen on her arm.

"I consider this being treated like a prisoner, yet no one cares." Tohka stated, pointing to it.

"Like we told you. We don't want to risk your powers attracting attention, especially while you're still not trusting of us, and that's why you're wearing it. Be glad we let you out of the quarantine room at all." Ellen replied, looking at her from the driver's seat.

"Sure, whatever..." Tohka replied, followed by her silently muttering a few curses.

Mio gave an awkward chuckle at the words she managed to hear her fellow Spirit say, then turned towards Ellen with a smile.

"Thanks for offering us a ride back home." Mio thanked.

"Don't mention it, I technically have 30 years' worth of favors to repay." Ellen replied.

Closing her window, the three watched as she drove back to DEM Industries, leaving Tohka to sigh as she walked to the door.

"Let's just get this over with." She said to herself.

Grabbing the door, she accidentally ripped it off with her strength, making her pale a bit as Shinji turned to see her holding it via the doorknob.

"Uh... someone broke that, it wasn't me." Tohka lied as she gave an embarrassed blush, failing miserably because she kept holding it.

"Honey!?" Shinji shouted with worry.

Clearing his throat, Shido walked in with Mio by his side, making his father look at him.

"It's alright dad, she's our... guest." Shido said.

Right as Mana came down with Kotori, who had recovered since her early bout of crying, saw Tohka holding the broken front door.

"Who's this?" Mana asked.

"This is Tohka Yatogami, and... in a way, she's kind of like my younger sister." Mio explained.

"Huh?" Tohka blinked, finally dropping the door.

Looking at the broken door with confusion for a moment, she turned to look at Tohka before snapping her fingers in response.

"Ah, so this is the Spirit that Ellen's group kept tabs on." Mana realized.

Tohka flinched at that, surprised that this woman knew about the Spirits, making Mio blush in embarrassment.

"Oh, did we forget to mention she already knew about us?" She asked, giving a sheepish grin in her direction.

"You think!?" Tohka confirmed, slightly annoyed.

Right after saying that, Tohka felt her forehead get flicked by Mana's powerful fingers and fell on her butt.

"Ow!" She groaned, holding her head.

"I have a feeling there's a lot of work we'll have to do with fixing this bitter attitude you're showing right us." Mana remarked.

"Hey!" She complained.

Mana giggled a bit, rubbing Tohka's head to her surprising, making her blush a bit.

"She even acts like a Princess, so adorable." Mana remarked.

'W-W-What did... s-s-she just... s-s-say?' Tohka Spirit thought, feeling her entire face heating.

Letting Tohka go, which left the now jittery Spirit to stumble onto the couch, she looked her son.

"I'm guessing the DEM wants us to watch after her for a while. If that's the case, she's gladly welcome here." She smiled, patting Shido's shoulder.

Tohka's eyes quickly widened in shock.

"You're that trusting!?" She exclaimed.

"Honey, if you saw the kind of antics Mio had me deal with as a teenager, then you'd get why I have no reason to hesitate on this." Mana said, smirking at her.

Tohka didn't even try to think of a reply, feeling a drop of sweat on her cheek.

"Uh... hey, Tohka? If you don't feel comfortable sleeping in this house, then you can sleep in mine. My parents are out on business right now." Kotori offered, knowing she'd need to at least try getting along with Tohka.

Feeling too tired to resist, Tohka sighed and got on her feet with a fuss.

"Come on, show me the way." She relented, trudging towards the door.

"Pray for me..." Kotori begged to God.

Mio sneezed right after she said that, grabbing a nearby tissue to wipe her nose.

'Where'd that come from?' She thought.

"No, let me open the door!" Kotori loudly begged from her house.

Shinji gave an awkward laugh.

"Crazy day we've had, right?" He asked, scratching his cheek.

Mana rolled her eyes at her husband's reply.

"So, just to ask... where am I sleeping?" Mio asked, looking a bit unsure.

"Hmm... until I figure out something more permanent, I guess the only place that makes sense is the guest room." Mana decided.

"Alright then." Mio replied.

She closed her eyes as she formed a translucent buttoned-up white nightgown in place of her clothes.

"Goodnight Shido." She smiled.

She pecked him on the cheek, making Shido blush a bit before he sputtered a bit of gibberish, surprising his parents over both things.

"Did she just manage to..." Shinji asked.

"And did she just give Shido a..." Mana asked.

Both looked at their son, who eventually got out of his stupor and noticed them.

"Uh... it's a long story, one where I technically die for a minute or two." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

Both of them looked closer at Shido, making him sweat.

"We're listening." Mana said, squinting her eyes.

"OK..." Shido whimpered, releasing a nervous sweat.

* * *

Inside of DEM Industries, the sound of machines whirring and beeping could be heard as Mildred was seen tinkering around with the remains of a Bandersnatch they managed to get their hands on, munching on a few sugar cubes to keep her energy up.

"Hmm... strange, where's the doohickey that let these things made that Anti-Territory that Jessica dealt with?" She hummed, scratching her head.

"Perhaps you need a small break?" A male voice asked.

Turning around, Mildred saw Westcott walk into the room, an extra caffeinated coffee in hand as he yawned.

"Ah, hey there boss. Guessing you want my analysis on the Reiryoku and Maryoku comparisons?" She asked.

He nodded his head as he took a sip and sat himself down.

"I tend to think over recent info in my sleep, so this is as good a time as any." The DEM Director said tiredly.

"Right." She replied, nodding her head as she turned around.

Grabbing two jars, she held them out to show the one in her right hand had Tohka's Reiryoku, while the one in her left had the Maryoku she emitted while still in her Inverse State and Mildred was lucky enough to capture a sample of.

"After taking a close look at the two, I think it's clear what the main divide between the two powers is. The one thing they both share in common? Just as Mio represented a possible state of Human evolution before it became a set road via the Seirei Era, both are evolutions of what we all once knew as magic. So, where is the difference? The power of Reiryoku was based on what the actions behind why you created her, propagation, prosperity, life... a light to the future." She began.

Listening to what she said, Westcott took another sip of his coffee.

"However, everything in this world must have an opposite, and if magic had originally just been the force of life that simply followed the flow of everything? When you gave birth to this new light that represented those positive traits, it shined a new darkness that represented the reverse, with the Day of the Black Earth being this very darkness representing annihilation, anarchy, and destruction." She finished.

"In other words, where Reiryoku is the Light or Yang of this new world, then the Maryoku is the Darkness or Yin opposite to it. That's why negativity is the catalyst to the Inverse Form that commands it." Mildred summarized, making a guess.

Mildred nodded, grabbing more sugar cubes.

"That's a pretty good way to define it boss, though I can't really explain why the Day of the Black Earth unleashed so much of it. Maybe the Earth was trying to evolve and we just didn't know it was lacking the Reiryoku Mio had to slowly give it. In a sense, her time travelling 30 years could represent the overheating our world took from the evolutionary process." She replied.

"And is there any difference on the light aspect compared to Origami's powers?" Westcott inquired.

Mildred nodded, showing a trace of Origami's power she had also been lucky to get by Tohka's, pointing out the way the light was rippling as she pulled up a screen about photons.

"See this here? The way her light radiates doesn't fully match that of a photon on its own like other Reiryoku does to a degree. With how we call her Angel, my best assumption is her light works akin to how we'd define the Holy element in video games, which is often described as light with more offensive capability. This theory also explains the possibility that a Spirit might have power over Shadows, which is like darkness, but fits the night better." She summarized.

Westcott nodded his head in response.

"Yes, our theory that the Sephira Crystals are tied to the aspects of nature that each make up part of what we call life on Earth... and I assume this is the only other element we've made any guesses on?" He replied, looking at her as he said the last part.

"I'm afraid so. We're still unclear on most of the powers the Spirits could use, not to mention we don't have any other Sephira Crystals to help add onto our theories." Mildred replied, apologizing slightly.

Sighing a bit, Westcott stood up.

"Keep up the work on figuring out that Anti-Territory field, I'll see if any other signs of Origami have been noticed and then head to bed." Westcott said tiredly.

Making her signature expression, she immediately got back to work, while Westcott's mind trailed to a certain memory.

* * *

 _In a different part of the mages' hidden realm, all 500 wizards were gathered alongside every supply they still had, with Westcott standing by Ellen, Elliot, and Reine in front of the other 496 mages that made up their people._

 _"As of now, our home is gone, and you know what? That's fine. With our last safe haven discovered, there's no more hoping for a future where they stop hunting us because we're mages, so it's time we stop running!" He exclaimed._

 _"Alright then... what do you propose we do?" Reine asked._

 _Westcott took a deep breath._

 _"It's time we fight back, because we can no longer survive and create a better tomorrow for us unless we strike back!" He declared._

 _The mages all begin to murmur._

 _"You don't believe we can win, do you? And you're right. If we fought them directly, then we would lose, but no one said a battle needs to be won by pure force. Remember, we mages were born because the Golden Dawn's ancestors learned to wield the power through their minds. To beat these beasts, we'll outsmart them in the ultimate way." Westcott explained._

 _"Why do we get hunted? Because we're mages, and we can use magic." Ellen reminded them._

 _"Exactly, therefore we'll outsmart them in a way like never before... by making ourselves normal humans that can't be targeted." Westcott smirked._

 _Everyone gasped at that, with Reine looking surprised._

 _"No way, are you saying that..." She realized._

 _"I think he is, and he might just be able to make a plan crazy enough to work." Elliot replied, smiling confidently._

 _Westcott put a map down, placing ten rocks before leaving a non-glowing crystal in the center and a glowing crystal above the uppermost rock, representing a familiar image that every mage knew like the back of their hands._

 _"The theory behind all our magical power and the mana powering it? All of it was based on the theory of the Sephirot and the filtering of Ain Soph to use any level of the power believed to come by God. That theory is exactly where our strategy's ultimatum exists." He stated._

 _He stabbed a knife through the non-glowing crystal, shattering it in two. The force of the impact even caused the glowing crystal to fall over in response._

 _"As you all know, there are various stories about the Sephirot, and one of them is the negative veils cannot co-exist with Da'ath if it exists in the form of both higher and lower knowledge, better known as Da'ath Tachton and Da'ath Elyon... which is exactly what we're going to do! We're going to take those paths between the Sephirot that we most draw on, then use them to smash it in two, destroying all magic in this world!" Westcott exclaimed._

 _"Destroying magic, the very thing that... makes us all mages!" Artemisia realized, smiling as she did._

 _Reine's eyes widened as she looked at the trio before her._

 _"Know this, we can't guarantee all of us will survive, but... if this plan works? Then the rest of us can all live on and honor those who have fallen in our future as normal humans, so... who's with me?" He asked, looking nervous._

 _With that, a silence followed... until a few mages smiled as they stood up._

 _"Before now we didn't see any light at the end of the tunnel, so let's all walk this path together!" Artemisia stated._

 _"Yeah, let's do this!" Jessica agreed._

 _"Come on everyone, let's all make a promise to our fallen comrades and to our future!" The brunnete shouted._

 _Everyone raised their hands, with Reine's eyes shaking before she smiled and joined them._

 _"KABBALAH!" They all exclaimed._

 _Reine looked at Westcott before walking towards him, a hope in her eyes that she thought was lost 10 years ago._

 _"Alright, then what's our first move?" She asked._

 _"Still have the info our parents died helping you bring back?" Westcott asked, giving a playful smirk._

 _It wasn't long before all of the remaining 500 mages left their hidden realm for good, riding on a fleet of horses as they bet on Westcott's plans for their future, unaware what would eventually be the result of their goal to destroy all magic in the world._

* * *

Sighing a bit, he shook his head.

"In the end, we never destroyed it... we just gave life to Mio. It still makes me wonder if I accidentally played God back then?" Westcott said to himself, chuckling a little.

Walking into the bedroom, he saw the sight of the bed he, Ellen and Elliot shared, the latter two already in it.

"So, how did Mildred's analysis go? Any luck with either study?" Ellen asked, sitting in the middle of the bed.

"At the very least, we've got a clearer answer behind Reiryoku and Maryoku, but she's yet to find any understanding about the Anti-Territory that Jessica encountered." Westcott answered, laying to her right.

Ellen nodded her head before going was silent for a moment.

"I still can't believe it... how does Shido have Ekenor? I was sure that Angel disappeared when-" She asked, still slightly in disbelief.

Following that reply, the trio gave another pause of silence.

"I doubt this is just some coincidence. With how things are going, it might not be much longer before we have to tell them the truth... as in the full truth." Elliot remarked.

"Question is are they ready for it? As they are now, can we really have them bear this burden?" Westcott wondered.

Like many things from 30 years ago, there was no clear answer... and that was one of the few things that could frighten him. After all, such uncertainty was exactly why the DeNA's actions could be so terrifying.

Because despite all the powers they once wielded, the mages still originated from normal Humans... meaning even they feared the unknown.

* * *

Shido felt his body crash into his bed as he groaned.

"Man, who knew talking about all of that to mom and dad would be so draining and terrifying?" He asked himself, rolling onto his back.

At that moment, he materialized Ekenor in his hands, taking a deeper look at the strange Angel.

 ** _"Now go, fight with the power of_** _*STATIC*_ ** _at your side... and stop the Diabolus ex Nihilo Association from ruining all you hold dear."_** The enigmatic being's voice echoed.

"Just what are you exactly, and most of all... just what did you do when I used you? I can't remember anything." He wondered.

The Angel didn't respond, making Shido give a tired groan.

"It feels like this thing is alive at some level, but I guess it only responds to my will or something. Guess it won't be giving me any answers." He realized.

He dispelled Ekenor and just closed his eyes... until the sound of knocking came from his door.

"Shido, do you mind if I come in?" Mio asked.

"No, go ahead." He replied.

Opening the door, Mio walked inside before she closed it behind her.

"Do you need any-" Shido asked.

Before he could even finish his response, he suddenly felt Mio climb over him on the bed and blush a little. This quickly made him react like most boys in this situation would.

He blushed as his heart rate began to increase.

"Shido... I love you so much." Mio breathed, getting closer as she unbuttoned her pajamas.

"Wait... wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Mio, I am very confused!" Shido panicked as he saw her bra, which looked a bit small on her... which could have been how she intentionally created it.

She pulled his hand onto her breasts, and right as he was about to scream... Shido felt his mind became a little hazy.

'W-What's going...' He thought, his eyes slowly taking a relaxed look.

Mio lowered her head to give him a kiss, which he surprisingly didn't resist, holding it for a few minutes before they slowly broke apart. She followed this by hugging his hand into her cleavage.

"I love you so much, which is why tonight... I'm going to show you just how strong my love is." She promised, giving a warm smile.

She lowered her head, starting to make out with Shido right there and then, with him wrapping his other arm around her back. Their kisses began to speed up in response, and after that... the rest of the night was theirs.

Unfortunately for Shido, he didn't realize why he suddenly stopped resisting her, which meant he'd be getting a rude awakening in the morning.

* * *

In the Itsuka household, Tohka was seen wearing blue clothes that Kotori gave her as makeshift Pajamas, lightly chewing on her pillow as she slept... only to suddenly flash her eyes open.

"W-Why do I suddenly feel uncomfortable?" She asked, a sudden shivering in her body.

Said shivering only got worse as she began to start twitching. Whatever caused this odd sensation, all she understood was her instincts were feeling something... causing Tohka to eventually release a loud scream before rushing out of the room.

"I need some Kinako Bread!" She shouted.

"Hmm?" Kotori mumbled, briefly sitting up half-asleep from Tohka's antics.

She quickly laid back down, going back to sleep.

Meanwhile, down in the kitchen, the Energy Spirit could be seen gobbling all the Kinako Bread she could stuff in her mouth until she finally calmed down. After doing so, she rested against the wall, holding a fist over her heart as a blush went on her face.

'Just what did I feel?' She asked, trying to calm down with slow breaths.

Kotori suddenly felt herself squirming in her sleep as well, and while no one knew where she was? Origami briefly felt her body twitch in a similar manner.

* * *

The following morning came, showing the just awoken Mana stretching as she walked towards the guest room.

"Mio, are you awake? I want to show you-" Mana asked.

As she knocked on the door, she saw it wasn't fully closed, sliding opening from her knocking to reveal Mio wasn't inside of it.

Blinking a bit, she checked her daughter's room and saw no one inside.

"Hmm... she did sometimes sleep with me or Shinji, guess she wanted her first night back to be with Shido to help her feel at ease." She theorized, turning to her son's room.

"Shido..." Mio's voice said in her sleep.

When that sleep talk reached her ears, Mana chuckled as she confirmed her thoughts.

"Knew it." She remarked.

The Takamiya matriarch soon opened the door neither Shido or Mio had been wise enough to lock, taking a peak inside.

"Shido, Mio, it's time to-" Mana shouted.

And shortly after, she suddenly screamed as she saw what was inside the room, turning around as she slammed it close. A huge blush was on her face as she tried to calm herself with breathing.

Hearing his mother's screams, it didn't take long for Shido to wake up... and spook Mana again as he screamed. Mio shortly followed, but unlike the two of them, just looked confused.

"Both of you! Get dressed! Then in the kitchen... now!" Mana ordered.

Mio flinched at that, suddenly feeling afraid.

"Shido, why does your mom sound angry?" She asked, shaking a bit as he looked at him.

"You'll find out soon enough..." He whispered.

The Spirit of Origin gulped upon hearing that, followed by a cold sweat.

* * *

Shido and Mio were both sitting in the seiza position as Mana stood before them, a slightly irritated look on her face.

"To think that of all the things you could have done last night, having sex is what you chose. What do the both of you have to say for yourselves?" Mana stated, tapping her foot.

"I swear that I wasn't going to go with it, but I just... I don't remember what happened after she let me touch her breasts!" Shido promised.

Looking at her son, Mana noticed his look didn't show any signs of dishonesty, and she knew her son wasn't some kind of horn dog that would lose control and jump every hot girl he saw. Some of the girls he met were close enough to Mio's beauty she had clear evidence on that line of thought.

Following that, she turned to Mio, who flinched again from how terrifying her gaze was.

"Based on what Shido's telling me, that means you're the main reason for this. Didn't you remember anything about sex ed before you did this!?" She questioned.

Mio blinked a bit.

"What's sex ed? Is that some kind of slang term?" The First Spirit asked, a metaphorical question mark popping by her head.

Hearing that reply, Mana suddenly froze as she heard a _quack_ sound go off in her head. Following that, her eyes widened before she released a loud groan and face palmed herself.

"Oh god, we never had a chance to teach you about it. I'm so stupid!" She groaned.

Sighing a bit, she sat on the ground with crossed legs, motioning her hands to let the duo know they could drop their seiza stance.

"Alright, since it's clear everyone had a small hand in letting this occur? I'll let it slide. However, for you Mio? You and I are going to go over why this isn't something you should do again if you lack the proper preparations for it, and Shido? You really have to be a good boyfriend because of this. Do you both understand?" Mana stated.

"We understand." They repeated.

"For this whole situation? None of you bring this up to anyone for now, it stays between the three of us." She ordered.

The two gulped, nodding their heads.

"I'll go start breakfast, so... just try figuring out why Shido didn't resist this or something." Mana sighed, rubbing her head as she headed into the kitchen.

Once she had, the two looked at one another.

"Mio, do you know why that could have happened? I mean... it seemed odd that I just stopped resisting and just seemed to go with the flow on pure instinct." Shido asked, hoping she had an answer.

"I do actually, it was the link we've had since I brought you back." Mio replied, an ashamed expression on her face.

Looking at him, her eyes shined with a look that said: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it", and that immediately prompted Shido to give her a hug of reassurance.

"Because of my own emotions at the time, I must have released strong pheromones that you had no resistance against, and that made you act on the same feelings I had without questioning them." Mio apologized.

"It's OK, this was just an accident. Don't beat yourself up over it." Shido smiled, rubbing her head.

"Alright, I promise." Mio smiled.

The two pulled each other into a stronger hug, making Mana smile at them from the kitchen.

*"DING DONG!"*

"It's me and Tohka!" Kotori shouted cheerfully.

"Come in!" Mana replied.

The door opened, and the main surprise that entered Mio's eyes was seeing Tohka wearing the female uniform for Rindouji High students, showing a n embarrassed blush.

"Why are you wearing that?" She asked.

"Because I've apparently been asked to attend... school, as the note that came with this stated." Tohka quietly answered.

Mio blinked as Mana giggled.

"I believe this came in for you?" Kotori chuckled, holding a package to Mio.

Looking at it, Mio grabbed the package before opening it, revealing a similar uniform tailored to her size. It took her a moment before she realized what this meant.

"Wait, did you sign me up for school?" She asked, looking at Mana.

"Yep, that I did. Figured you'd like to stay with Shido in school rather than waiting around in the house all day until he came home." She confirmed.

Smiling a bit, she immediately spun around and changed into her uniform in an instant.

The moment Shido saw her in it, he blushed heavily, especially at the few bits of decor that she had personalized for herself. Those few being her pink socks with silvery-white sneakers that really worked with her personality.

"W-Wow..." He breathed, noticing how beautiful she looked.

"Of course you only like hers, how typical of boy with a hot girlfriend." Tohka stated, looking away with a pout.

"Huh? No, yours looks good too! I especially like the stockings." Shido replied.

Tohka blushed at that, going a bit red because of how unexpected his comment was, and then turned her head even more she already was.

"B-Baka!" She exclaimed.

Everyone tried their best not to laugh at her reply.

"Alright everyone, let's have breakfast." Mana stated, placing a few plates on the table.

Sniffing a bit, Tohka turned to see her plate had sandwiches made from Kinako Bread.

"W-Well... I guess I can have a bit of breakfast, just since you made the offer for it." Tohka replied, a slightly forced smile on her face.

'You act like such a princess!' Mana silently giggled.

* * *

Once breakfast was finished, everyone headed off to Rindouji before heading to their respective classes, with Shido handing Tamae a note the DEM made to explain Origami's absence.

"I had no idea Origami got caught up in that, though I'm glad that she's OK." Tamae said worriedly.

"Hopefully she can be discharged soon." Shido agreed.

Having a moment, he decided to test something and got close to her ear, whispering something.

"I'm pretty sure I met your husband." He stated.

Tamae covered her mouth in surprise, soon turning her head as she discreetly slipped him a note. Shido took a moment to read it, confirming his suspicions.

'Looks like Saya's not the only one in school with links to DEM.' He thought.

With that, Shido walked back to his seat, readying himself for the obvious questions he'd have to help Mio answer once she revealed her full name to the class.

"I know we had a weird start the other day, but let's start the second day of the new year on a high note! Especially since I have a surprise to share with all of you." Tamae said as she greeted the class.

This got the attention of a few students.

"First off, I'd like to introduce two new transfer students that'll be joining us today. Come in you two." She smiled, turning to the door.

This surprised a few of the students.

"Wait, did she just say two?" Ai asked.

"That's what I heard." Hiroto replied.

At that moment, both Mio and Tohka walked into the room, making most of the boys give a smiling blush, while a few of the girls showed surprise at their beauty. Mio gave a smile, whereas Tohka... still chose to look kind of sour.

"Hello everyone, my name is Mio Takamiya. It's nice to meet all of you." Mio greeted, giving a bright smile.

The notice that she and Shido had the same last name quickly caught everyone's attention.

"Excuse me, but are you and Shido related to each other?" Mai asked.

"Actually, no we aren't. Shido's father was simply kind enough to allow me to use it as my surname." Mio explained.

This left some of the class confused.

"You see... I never knew my real parents, and Shido's found me when I was very young. They raised me for a bit and then gave me my name before the Director of DEM Industries became my legal guardian." She explained.

This made some of the class gasp.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." Mai apologized.

"Don't worry. I've had a great life despite that, so no need to worry about asking me questions like that." Mio reassured her new classmates.

All of them sighed in relief upon hearing that.

"Would anyone else like to ask Mio any questions?" Tamae offered.

"I have one! Do you have a boyfriend!?" Hiroto asked.

"Sorry, but I'm already dating Shido." Mio apologized.

That got everyone's attention, causing them to turn to their Class Deputy, who blushed as he gave a slight nod and chuckle.

"Aw man!" Hiroto complained.

Loudly clearing her throat, everyone noticed Tohka's annoyed face as she tapped her foot.

"Oh, my apologies. Go ahead." Tamae apologized.

She stopped her foot taping, and looked at all of her classmates.

"Tohka Yatogami." She said simply.

Everyone waited for her to say something more... and then just gave synchronized sweat drops as nothing else happened.

"Is... that all you have to say?" Tamae asked.

"Yes." Tohka answered.

Giving a nervous chuckle, she motioned her hand towards the empty seats in the classroom, trying to act like the awkward scenario before her had never happened.

"Mio, you can sit next to the desk on Shido's right. Tohka, you can sit to the desk on Shido's right." She offered.

Bowing to her in respect, Mio walked over to her desk, with Tohka silently following behind.

"You think that Tohka girl is just having a bad day, or just honestly doesn't want to be here." Mii whispered to her fellow trio.

"No idea." Ai replied.

"Better she tries to interact with us instead of the opposite." Mai suggested.

With that, class officially began for the day.

* * *

Lunch break quickly came, and everyone gathered around Mio for other questions, with Shido sitting by the side.

"You said Shido's parents raised you for a bit, does that make you and Shido childhood friends? I think a childhood romance is really sweet if it is." A female student asked.

"That's right, we've known each other for years." Mio replied.

All of the girls squeed at that, making her blush at their reactions.

"So, how did you and Shido get together? It didn't look like he had a girlfriend when school began." A male student asked.

Mio giggled at that.

"Truth be told, if you had asked him during class yesterday? That would have been true. We just started dating after some of the other day's latter Spacequakes. You see... he saved me from some debris, and then..." She admitted.

She smiled as she blushed, holding her cheeks as everyone went _Aww~_ at her cute expression.

As he watched, Hiroto walked by him.

"Well, at least that explains how you scored this hot action without me knowing. You know the other new girl as well?" He asked.

"Tohka? Well, kind of... but I only just met her." Shido answered.

Both of them looked as Tohka was seen munching on some sandwiches made from Kinako Bread, not really caring about the other students around her. A familiar trio soon walked by Shido as well.

"Does that mean you know why she acts like... that?" Mii asked.

"Sort of. I think she might have a slight case of misanthropy, but that's just a guess at best." He answered.

Hiroto blinked at that.

"What's misanthropy?" He asked.

"I think that's what you call someone that hates Humans or just the definition of Humanity." Mai replied.

"Just what happened for her to feel that way?" Ai asked.

Shido shrugged his shoulder sin response, acting like he couldn't answer because he couldn't tell them the truth about her origins.

"Whatever it is, I just hope she feels comfortable with us at some point." Shido replied.

Right at that moment...

"Shido, do you want to eat lunch together?" Mio smiled, holding out her bento.

"Sure thing." He smiled.

The two pushed their desks together and opened up their bento boxes. As they ate together, Shido quickly noticed Mio drawing a series of three pictures with amazing speed and skill that matched that of a professional manga artist.

"Hey, what's that you're drawing there?" He inquired.

Mio turned to see Shido had noticed, blushing a bit as she showed the pictures to him.

"Remember when we got caught up in things with Tohka? I had a few visions and I thought drawing them for others to see would be a good idea. Although, out of these three, I think you can already tell what the first one is." She explained, pointing at the young Hermetic Trio.

"Yeah, I can tell who those three are." Shido agreed, turning his attention to the next one.

He had never heard of Reine before, so this image was a complete mystery to him, and the energy that seemed to be Reiryoku meant Mio could only sketch a blurred image of her appearance.

"I'm guessing this image is the one you don't understand at all." He guessed.

Mio nodded her head, and that's when she showed the one with the brunette Tohka, which is when said Spirit briefly glanced their way.

"This one's probably the most important. Either Tohka's missing something in her memories with how she reacted to trying to think about her... or this girl might have somehow been the genetic donor that created the form we know her in." Shido mentioned.

"It doesn't help I don't know when the last two memory flashes happened. While they could have been around the same as the first, it's just as likely they could have happened at any point in the last 30 years." Mio agreed.

Pausing for a bit, Tohka looked to the side.

'They really want to help me, so why? Why is it that I still don't feel... like I can... trust them at...' She thought.

She collapsed onto her desk, getting everyone's attention.

"Tohka!?" Mio exclaimed in worry.

"I'm fine, just feeling a bit warm... think I'll go rest in the nurse's office." She replied as she stood up.

However, when she tried to walk, she nearly collapsed. Ai quickly managed to catch her before she hit the ground, making her look at the blonde member of the class' notable trio.

"You seem a little shaky, we'll help you walk there." Ai offered, with Mai and Mii holding her other side.

"Alright... thank you." Tohka replied, sounding a bit weak.

Watching her walk out of the room with the trio, Mio put the sketches into her bag, looking at Shido with a blush of embarrassment.

"Maybe we should wait until _after_ school before talking about this." She nervously chuckled.

Shido nodded his head, giving a similar chuckle.

* * *

After school ended for the day, Shido and Mio stood by the entrance with Saya, who was supporting a still ill-feeling Tohka.

"I'll take her back home for you two, so good luck figuring out what flashes of memory are." Saya replied, hoping her encouragement gave them a bit of luck.

"Thanks, we'll see you later." Shido replied.

Saya nodded her head, and began helping Tohka back to the Takamiya Household.

"Where should we look at these?" Shido asked, holding the images.

Mio thought for a bit, though soon heard the sound of a bell, making her briefly glance towards the sky.

"Mio?" Shido blinked.

"Sorry, I was thinking Tenguu Viewpoint might be a good idea. We did start the whole situation that led me to having them from there." Mio suggested.

"Good point, then let's head over there." He agreed.

As the two headed over, Shido had yet to notice a strange sphere floating overhead the city.

Upon arriving, Shido placed them on the bench.

"We know that a young Westcott, Ellen, and Elliot are on this first image. Though I have a feeling what happened in this image relates to the other two somehow. The question is what the link is?" Shido thought aloud.

Mio scratched her head, feeling like she should at least recognize the second image.

'Why does the person in this one feel so familiar? It's like I know them... yet I know that this is the first time I've ever seen them in my whole life.' She thought, looking closely at it.

"Shall I lend you aid, my old friend?"

Hearing that voice, Shido and Mio both turned around.

The source of the voice was soon revealed to be a young girl with long blond hair that was partially tied into a side ponytail, deep pink eyes, and wearing a white sailor uniform with decorative gold earrings with a marble-like sphere as the main accessory.

Her stare seemed blank and monotone, which unnerved Shido at first, but he quickly shrugged it off after the weirdness he had already seen since meeting Mio.

"It's been so long, hasn't it?" Mio answered.

Shido looked surprised at his girlfriend's reply, not expecting her to know this girl.

"Mio, you know her?" He asked.

"Wait, you can see her?" She asked in surprise.

"I do." He confirmed.

Hearing that, Mio's eyes widened more, looking back at the mysterious girl.

"No one's ever been able to see her besides me, so how are you able to... wait, is it our link?" Mio replied, trying to figure things out.

"Hmm... Mio, mind if I try talking to her?" Shido asked.

She paused for a moment.

"Uh... sure, go ahead. If you think you have a reason to." She permitted.

Having her permission, Shido walked a bit closer to the girl, and then began to speak once he was close enough.

"You are?" Shido inquired.

"Greetings to you, Spiritual Successor." The girl answered.

Hearing that, Shido briefly flinched, remembering that as the same title he was called by figure who had given him Ekenor.

"Wait, are you... the one I met the other day?" He asked expectantly.

She shook her head.

"No, this is our first encounter, as I have been unable to leave there until today." She answered, pointing towards the sky.

Realizing where her gaze was partially aimed, Shido finally saw the sphere.

"Did you make that?" Shido asked.

"You have no need to worry, this sphere serves no purpose beyond mere housing. It wouldn't be wrong to compare it to an invisible sun or moon that lacks a gravitational pull." The girl reassured him.

Looking back down, he took a slight breath.

"Then... who are you?" He asked, wondering who she really was.

"I am the operating persona of Ain Soph Aur, one of Mio's three Angels. It would also be accurate to call me the Ain Soph Aur's Avatar." She answered.

Shido was surprised by that.

"Did she just say you have..." Shido asked, looking at Mio.

"I do." Mio confirmed.

The avatar of Ain Soph Aur decided to continue, right as he turned his head back to face her, despite still feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"Her Angels are all named and based on the three negative veils. However, both Ain Soph and Ain Soph Aur are incredibly difficult to be wielded alone, so I was born to manage the latter. Mio simply commands the Angel's summon, and I aim where she wishes to use its effect. I am both part of her, yet a being of my own." She explained.

"OK, then... may I know your name?" Shido asked.

"I do not possess a name, so there is none that I can share with you. For now, I must share what I came to tell you, the only clue that I can give with the limited knowledge I know." The nameless girl answered.

Shido listened as she closed her eyes.

"The girl in that second image is one of the most important people behind this world... as she is the donor to Mio's existence." She revealed.

"Wait, what do you mean by that!?" Shido gasped.

"I don't have anything specific, but for Mio to have been created with the possession of a Human form... does it not make sense Westcott's actions introduced human DNA into the equation?" The girl questioned.

Hearing that, Shido and Mio both showed surprise.

'Then... is she saying Ike knows something, or maybe could have something added it and he didn't know until after I had already been born?' Mio wondered.

Having said all she did, the girl turned around.

"With that, I must go for now. Until our paths align once again." The girl stated, preparing to leave.

"Wait, just a second!" Shido called out.

She turned back around, and walked a few steps closer to the Spiritual Successor.

"Do you need still something?" She asked.

"It's just... will I see you again?" Shido asked.

"Yes, I can assure you this isn't the last time we'll meet. There will be a day the personas of Ain Soph and Ain will meet you as well." She confirmed.

"If that's the case, do you mind if I give you a name? It'd be easier to talk with you that way." He inquired.

Hearing that, she paused a bit before nodding.

"Should it be more efficient for you, then you may give me a name." The girl replied.

Taking a moment, Shido managed to find a name.

"Let's see, the defining word in Ain Soph Aur is the Aur, so... how about Aura?" He suggested, hoping it was a good name.

"Aura..." She repeated.

Right as she said that, Shido noticed a glow surround her body, followed by four wings suddenly sprouting out and then enveloping her body.

The two watched as her outfit changed into a short black dress with a slit on her chest and stomach, black gloves, and gold gauntlets on her legs. On her back, she had a pair of angelic wings alongside four large transparent wings.

Additionally, a smaller pair of wings attached to her ears, positioned similarly to a Greek crown.

"Aura... such a wonderful name. Thank you for giving me this this gift, Shido Takamiya." Aura smiled.

She flew into the air, fading into the sphere.

"I've never seen her create an Astral Dress before, did you naming her cause it to happen?" Mio questioned, her eyes shaking in surprise.

"Honestly? I have no idea, but... something tells me we need to pay Westcott a small visit." He replied.

Mio immediately realized what he was referring to and nodded her head. She even grabbed the image of the girl that resembled Tohka as a brunette, realizing that if the second image was linked to him, this image also had to be from 30 years ago.

"For more than one reason." She added.

However, before they could make their way towards DEM Industries...

 **"WARNING! YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE, THIS IS NOT A DRILL! THERE HAVE BEEN PRECURSORY SIGNS OF AN IMPENDING SPACEQUAKE IN THE CITY! PLEASE EVACUATE TO YOUR NEAREST SHELTER! I REPEAT!"**

The two froze, immediately realizing what this meant after the events of yesterday, an answer that was confirmed the moment they turned around to see a familiar face staring at them.

"Origami!" Shido exclaimed.

 **"Satan."**

Her Demon slowly manifested itself, and then immediately began charging beams of light.

"Quick, we need to find Tohka and Kotori!" Mio exclaimed.

Grabbing onto Shido, the both of them were warped out of the way, making Origami's body turn in the direction they fled in.

The Light Spirit immediately gave chase.

"You... can't... run." She whispered, accelerating towards them.

* * *

From a distance, the sight of Minerva was seen, wearing a CR-Unit that resembled a slightly darker version of Ellen's. As she stared at the horizon, a Bandersnatch walked to her side.

 _"DEVIL HAS ARRIVED, CONDITIONS FOR ATTACK HAVE BEEN MET!"_

"Understood." Minerva answered.

She swung her hand out, sliding out a sword made from Maryoku, right as the sound of stomping was heard.

On each side of her, three bipedal machines larger than Bandersnatch were seen.

"Now, lets give the DEM a wakeup call." She stated, holding out her blade.

After saying this, her pupils suddenly glowed.

* * *

 **It looks like Minerva was waiting for this moment, and now that Origami's made her return... she's about to act. Along with a Bandersnatch army, she's got half a dozen of some new kind of machine, with the question being just what kind of power do they possess? Whatever they are, Minerva's glowing eyes show the real threat will be whatever's made her so different from her canon self.**

 **Now, for what happened between Mio and Shido during the night... *chuckles* as I said above, there's something about it that's related to the harem, though it'll be after this arc ends. It was also how I dealt with the whole Shido overheating thing from canon, and now that he's had a surge of Spirit power go through him, that'll help jump start the power he got from this story's equivalent to Phantom.**

 **As you can see, I had Mayuri's canon self appear as someone else. My reasoning for this is because of the one V18 illustration that shows Mayuri inside of Ain Soph Aur, which actually makes a lot of sense due to how it and Kerubiel both attack in a similar way. The actual Mayuri will have a much different appearance that gives her an aged-up appearance, which is the best I can say due to spoilers related to what she'll actually look like.**

 **For those wondering what Westcott means? During my search for info on the Sephirot, I never saw anything about the negative veils paired with Da'ath Elyon and Da'ath Tachton, something that initially confused me. However, looking a bit more at Elyon made me notice where the problem was. It seems that it's above Kether, just like the veils are, meaning that it may just be an alternate name for them.**

 **With that in mind, it'd be easiest to say that all of Spiritual Successor's events came from Westcott cracking reality by shattering something he perceived as Da'ath, but was actually something else. This is what led to the Day of the Black Earth in the way that Mildred described it, and Mio had to fix reality to allow them to co-exist, and that change to the laws of reality is what in turn changed the world.**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	7. The Angel in the Devil

**Alright everyone, before we begin? I have to mention what a shock the new DAL news ended up being as a whole. We didn't just get confirmation on when Season 3 will happen, but the reveal of a silhouette for a new Spirit to appear in a _fourth_ video game! Because of this reveal, I'll answer this question since I'm sure someone might ask me it... yes, she will appear in this story!**

 **Due to a few other stories of mine, this story currently updates on a monthly schedule, not to mention that I said this story will occasionally take breaks from the main story line to focus on developing the characters and Shido's relationships with his harems. As a result, we'll likely get more info on the new Spirit at a good time for me to assimilate her into the story, and I can easily make a few edits to adapt to her existence just being revealed.**

 **For one thing that I can adapt, since I gave Ekenor to Shido because I didn't expect another Spirit to appear, well... let's just say that I can think of a few ways to justify how she can have an Angel when she finally shows up without changing the shape of his own weapon. You'll find out when it actually happens, so consider what I said as a possible preview.**

 **Good news is that I managed to find another place on the Sephirot that she can represent, so we're good in that area. I will admit that if another Spirit gets revealed through a new game or movie in the future... well, they'll still appear, but I'm sorry to say that I'll be unable to add them into the harem. The good news is this won't automatically make them antagonists since I'm working on adapting bits of DAB into the story when the opportunity arises.**

 **Anyways, this chapter is where after a long wait... you'll finally see what kind of powers Shido has as a Half-Spirit as he, Mio, Kotori, and Tohka all fight together for the first time to save Origami and undo her Inverse Form! Not only that, but you'll start seeing more brought up about the questions we got from the previous chapter, and maybe a few answers if you're lucky.**

 **Now, with all of that out of the way... let's get this chapter started!**

* * *

 **[Chapter 7 - The Angel in the Devil]**

 _All of the mages stood before a landscape within a certain area of Eurasia, led by the Hermetic Trio who, like all of their comrades... had somber looks on their faces. They had finally made it, reached the end of their goal to finally destroy all magic and free themselves._

 _However, the price was still heavy. They began 500 strong... but 100 of their own had either gone missing or died to achieve this._

 ** _[_** ** _Metal Gear Solid 4: Father and Son_** ** _]_**

 _"Even though we said it from the start, even though we knew how this would end, now that we've finally made it through this nightmare... I can't hold back the pain born of everyone we lost to make it this far." Ellen sobbed, holding a lock of hair in her hands._

 _Westcott and Elliot looked at her, seeing the silvery hair in her hands that belong to her Aunt's._

 _"She insisted on it. To her, it was the only way to finally repay her sister and our fathers for sacrificing themselves when they did. I just hope wherever she is now... she's happy." Elliot said softly, rubbing her back._

 _"I... I know that, but... it wasn't her fault. Every time I could, the first thing I'd do is remind her that I never blamed her for back then." Ellen replied, sniffling a bit._

 _"We know, and that's why she'll continue living for all eternity in our hearts, because we'll never forget the sacrifices she made to save everyone that's still here." Westcott replied, taking a deep breath as he pulled out the courage he needed._

 _After all, he still had to see this to the end, because there was still one more thing they had to finish._

 _It was time... to destroy the source._

 _"Now come on, Ellen... Elliot... the time has come to use the Da'ath Formula we all struggled to make for this very moment." He reminded them._

 _Wiping her tears, she nodded her head as she gained a determined look in her eyes._

 _"Right, we still have a job to do." Ellen replied._

 _"Yeah, we're still 400 strong... and all 400 of us have to remember those who couldn't live to see this day. Now, let us free the chains on our future." Elliot agreed._

 _Westcott held up his wand, forming magical markings in the air that resembled a mix of circuit boards and chemical structures._

 _Looking at the remaining strands of hair once belonging to her Aunt Reine one last time, Ellen placed them on the ground, leaving her without any more doubts in doing what needed to be done._

 _Lifting her own wand, the sight of ripples formed in the air around Westcott's_ _magical designs._

 _'Goodbye, and thank you...' She thought._

 ** _[_** ** _Insert Song End_** ** _]_**

 _Elliot lifted his wand, at that moment, the ripple moved away, giving the sight to a giant sphere that had always been in the area, yet unseen to the naked eye of all life on Earth._

 _It was made of ethereal energy that existed in the form of a circle that shaped itself with a myriad of colors. As the magic lines in the air showed, the flow of energy it made rose into the air, then cycled down even faster into the land itself._

 _"This is... incredible, the power of Da'ath... is really floating right in front of us." Jessica breathed, her eyes shining._

 _"Everyone, hold the structure in place." Westcott ordered._

 _Taking out their wands, all of the remaining mages aimed a small line of magic towards the Da'ath Formula's structure, holding it in place. Raising their own wands up, the Hermetic Trio soon crossed them, preparing to unite their magic into one powerful spell._

 _"Great sphere of Da'ath, for the sake of us mages... I hereby slice you in two and disconnect the blessing of magic from this world!" Westcott shouted._

 _They all swung their wands down, firing off their magic in the shape of a whip-like sword._

 _In mere seconds, the sphere of Da'ath was vertically sliced right down the middle from top to bottom. At first, thing looked fine... until a brief flash of black shot off unnoticed to them, and the sphere began to float high into the sky._

 _"What's going on?" Elliot asked, still noticing his wand glowing._

 _A large pulse suddenly passed through the area, making Ellen notice the sight of a butterfly leaving as if its instincts sensed a grave danger on its way._

 _"Guys... I'm getting a bad feeling about this..." She admitted, feeling a bead of sweat drip down her cheek._

 _Without any warning, the sky suddenly began to swirl, as if there were that signs a hurricane was about to form where the clouds gathered. All of the mages looked at it, wondering what it was._

 _It was Westcott that realized what the source of it must be._

 _"This is... have we crossed a line we didn't know about?" He wondered, feeling his whole body starting to tremble._

 _However, it became clear that the sky was swirling way too fast for a hurricane to form, and more energy waves began shooting out, with the nearby rock forming the landscape, and some of the mountains, crumbling off shards of rock as the swirling actually made the land shake._

 _"Something's wrong..." Elliot realized._

* * *

Mio and Shido were both seen running from beams of light that fired at them, with Origami in her Inverse State being the source as her instincts drove her towards the duo.

"Crap, where's my phone!?" Shido questioned.

"I'll grab it, just keep running!" Mio offered.

Reaching into any space he could hold it, she quickly moved around until she found something and pulled it out, just getting some gray stuff.

"Lint." She said.

Throwing it behind her, it brushed against Origami's nose, making her sneeze as Mio found something else.

"100 yen." She said.

She tossed it again, hitting Origami on the face as her head lightly bobbed up. Mio soon grabbed... something she didn't recognize.

"I... have no idea what this is." She said.

She tossed it once more, briefly leaving Origami's face covered by whatever she threw until the wind blew it off.

Luckily, the next thing she grabbed managed to be Shido's phone.

"Alright, got it!" Mio cheered.

"Good, now to call-" Shido replied.

Right at that moment, his phone shut down from a low battery warning.

"Oh, come on!" Both shouted.

* * *

Kotori was with her classmates at Raizen, currently preparing for Spacequake evacuation. As she stood in a line, waiting until she would be brought into the bunker, she heard her phone ring.

"Here, go ahead of me. This sounds important." She stated, offering her spot to students behind her.

Moving to a corner, she looked at the number to see it was from DEM Industries before answering it.

"What's wrong?" She replied.

"Glad that I got through. As for what's wrong? Origami just reappeared, and unfortunately for us, it's right where Shido and Mio are." Elliot answered.

Kotori's eyes widened at that.

"And Mio still doesn't know why she can't use her powers to fight back!" The Flame Spirit realized.

"Exactly, so we need you to get outside and go help them before they're toast." He confirmed.

Nodding her head, Kotori looked around to find a spot where she could sneak out and then leaped at it without anyone the wiser. After getting outside, she put the phone back to her ear.

"OK, I'm outside now. What should I do next?" Kotori asked.

"Simple, manifest your powers as a Spirit and follow the source of the noise." Elliot answered.

Nodding her head, Kotori looked around for somewhere to jump off of, and smiled as she found it.

"Alright then, here I go!" She exclaimed, running ahead.

She jumped into the air, expecting she'd fly as her powers activated... only for her to immediately fall thirty feet onto the ground, falling flat on her face. When she lifted her head, the sight of a black eye was seen before one of her teeth fell out.

Luckily, the former healed up and the latter burned before plugging itself back into her mouth, something Kotori was thankful for.

"Oh yeah, that's not what I did last time..." She recalled.

* * *

Inside the DEM base, he immediately turned to face Ellen and Westcott.

"OK, we managed to get Kotori onto the field, but how do we get Tohka out there to help... if she'll even do it?" He questioned.

"I'm not sure, but right now? Tohka doesn't seem conscious enough to help." Ellen answered.

Both her husbands looked at her, making her blink until she sighed and gave in to their unsaid requests with little argument.

"Alright, fine... I'll try getting Tohka, excuse me." Ellen decided.

She rushed to grab her other CR-Unit, leaving Westcott and Elliot with the former mages that made up DEM's Analysts.

"Eh... maybe we should call Shido and Mio to let them know they'll need to buy themselves time until Kotori and Tohka arrive to help them." Elliot suggested.

"Agreed." Westcott nodded, grabbing his phone.

As he tried to call their number, the ringing quickly stopped until a second afterwards...

"Sorry about this, but I'm unable to answer the phone right now. Leave your message after the beep." Shido's recorded voice apologized.

Both of them went white at that.

"OK, this has stopped being funny and started to get terrifying..." Westcott remarked.

* * *

In the fields that made up the outside area of Rindouji High, the sight of Tohka could be seen, having snuck out of the nurse's office sometime after she was taken there. She was currently standing against the wall in a shaky manner.

"Damn it, what's... happening to me? My head... it keeps... it keeps on..." Tohka breathed heavily, starting to see double and then triple from her eyes.

She fell onto the ground, her face unchanging as she went into a semi-unconscious state.

Right as she did, Ellen had flown into the area, gasping as she saw Tohka's barely awakened state lying across the ground and taking weakened breathes.

"Tohka! Come on, wake up... Tohka!" She shouted, her voice sounding more blurred to Tohka's ears by the second.

However, the moment she heard Ellen's voice in this state, he body twitched as she felt something well up to her mind like a secret command in a video game, if not an in-game cheat code given as a reward for some kind of achievement.

And what she saw was definitely the reward such a commend would give as she saw something unexpected.

* * *

 _Rushing across the landscape, the brunette lookalike of Tohka was seen running away from some Bandersnatch that were chasing her, panting as she tried to keep her distance._

 _Looking back at them for a moment, she looked at the path ahead before giving a confident smirk and releasing a loud finger whistle._

 _"Fire!" Artemisia shouted._

 _Somersaulting across the ground, the sight of fireballs and electricity stormed overhead of her, causing all of the machines to explode once they struck their metallic forms._

 _Getting back up to confirm all of them were gone, the brunette Tohka lookalike sighed in relief._

 _"All enemies cleared! She confirmed._

 _"We did it!" Artemisia exclaimed._

 _Every mage gave a small celebration at the sight, with the brunette mage rushing over to them._

 _"This mission's success means we've found the last source of information we need for Westcott to create his Da'ath Formula, and even now? It... it still doesn't feel real, I still can't believe that we've made it near the end." She admitted._

 _"Well don't stop believing in it Alicia, because we're not done yet." Artemisia reminded her._

 _Right as that moment, a huge explosion went off, making the group turn to see the sight of DeNA flying machines heading their way. Alicia immediately swung her hand as she turned to her team._

 _"Quick, retreat! Retreat!" She screamed._

 _All of the mages quickly ran from the area, knowing reaching Westcott was more vital than fighting an unnecessary battle._

* * *

 _Every remaining mage was seen running through a building, with a whole fleet of the DeNA's strongest machines rushing towards them with the intent to end their lives long before they could ever reach the spot in Eurasia that was the only area they could activate the Da'ath Formula._

 ** _"REMAINING MAGES: ESTIMATED NUMBER IS DETERMINED TO BE 402!"_**

 _Firing a laser from its shoulders, an entire section of the upper floor was destroyed, making a few mages scream as an explosion nearly incinerated them._

 _"Damn it!" Alicia screamed, getting back on her feet._

 _"Hurry, we can't reach you like this!" Reine shouted, sweating as she held out her wand for a large-scale spell._

 _Nodding her head, Alicia took the lead and began moving towards her position._

 _However, her timing to move couldn't have been any worse than at that moment, as a damaged Bandersnatch jumped right in front of her... and stabbed its claw into the left side of her abdomen._

 _"Alicia!" Many mages screamed._

 _"No!" Reine screamed as well._

 _Her eyes shook for a moment as she fell down some stairs, with the Bandersnatch finally breaking for good as it crashed onto the ground with her._

 _Weakly lifting her head, Alicia showed she was still alive, but her bleeding wound showed that would soon change. Worse? They already lost every mage that knew healing spells, so there was no hope of saving her._

 _"Looks like... I won't see this to the end." She lamented, shedding some tears._

 _As she watched the sight before her, Reine made a serious face, finally having been pushed too far and refusing to let anyone else die in this nightmare. Jumping down where she landed, Alicia looked at her in surprise._

 _Everyone, even the machines stopped to look at her as she began to move her wand in a strange way._

* * *

Tohka's eyes shot open, holding that very side for a moment until she realized there was no wound or blood there, making her tremble as she felt her mind wander over a single thought.

"Oh, thank goodness. I was worried when I saw you passed out on the ground." Ellen sighed in relief.

For a moment, Tohka's hair hid her eyes, causing Ellen to give her another look of worry as she got up, keeping the same expression on her face.

"Tohka, what's wrong?" She asked worriedly.

"Tell me, who is she..." Tohka demanded.

Ellen gave a small flinch only a machine would be able to register, feeling a nervous sweat begin to form near her left cheek.

"Who is... who?" Ellen asked.

Tohka turned her head, giving her an angered look of questioning.

"Who is this Alicia girl? Mio keeps telling me something about seeing someone that resembles me if I were a brunette, and now I'm sure I saw something from 30 years ago. Now tell me, who is this Alicia girl!?" She demanded, repeating her question for emphasis.

'No way, she knows!?' Ellen thought in surprise.

The scary truth was that DEM's strongest wizard knew exactly who she was talking about, and it had left her shaking ever since she saw Tohka for the first time.

However, as she was right now... it was a truth that Tohka wasn't ready to hear.

"Never mind that right now, and I'm not just saying that to make you drop the subject. Shido and Mio are in danger and they can't do anything because the latter still can't fully use her powers! Kotori may be on her way to help, but she can't use her anger to help her Origami, so they need your aid!" Ellen shouted, changing the subject.

"I'm not in the mood to play games, tell me who Alicia is!" Tohka screamed, demanding answers.

*SLAP*

Tohka's head reeled back as she held her right cheek, her eyes wide from the surprising act of Ellen slapping her across the face.

"Stop being a brat! Right now, people that who are willing to help you are in danger! I have no right to give you the answers you want if you won't care about other people!" Ellen shouted.

Looking at her in surprise, Tohka felt herself just standing there and taking her cruel words.

"You should know more than anyone what it's like to have no one when you really need them, and yet you act this way... so, if you won't do anything to help them? Then just stay here for all I care. I'll be the one to make sure Mio and Shido are safe, because unlike you, I'm a real friend of theirs!" Ellen shouted.

She flew off towards the battlefield, leaving Tohka to just stand there as Ellen's words sunk in.

"How I act..." Tohka said softly.

Looking at everything she said since her talk with Shido in the quarantine room, and everyone that tried to be friendly with her, she felt herself beginning to shake.

And then, a single tear escaped her eye, signaling many more to follow.

"I'm... no less ugly or horrible than those machines!" She cried, finally realizing what she had let herself become.

* * *

Mio and Shido were currently hiding in a corner, with Origami moving around to try and spot them, charging more darkened light at the tips of Satan's pillars.

"Where are... you two hiding?" Origami questioned, looking around.

Looking at Mio, the nervousness on Shido's face was clear to her.

"We can't just try to hide until Kotori, Tohka, or any DEM Wizards come to help us. I need to try fighting right now." Shido mentioned.

"You haven't used Ekenor aside from the one time, and that wasn't even intentional. Do you think you'll be alright?" Mio worriedly asked.

Shido sighed, his hand squeezing itself before it opened to show Ekenor inside.

"No, but it's better than just standing here and doing nothing while I have to watch Origami suffer like this. Besides, as long as I'm here, I'll make sure we both get out of this alive." He promised.

Mio smiled at that, tearing up a bit.

"OK, then do your best and believe in your strength." She replied, putting her hand on top of his.

Nodding at her, Shido immediately rushed into view, getting Origami's attention as she saw him.

 **"Satan."**

The Demon immediately fired all of its blasts at him.

 **"Ekenor!"**

Shido screamed and unleashed a huge burst from his unique Angel, sending a surge of power in her direction.

The two forces clashed in midair... only for Origami's Maryoku to shred right through his Reiryoku like butter!

'What!?' Shido and Mio thought simultaneously, showing their disbelief.

Quickly realizing Shido was dumbstruck by the sight, Mio dashed ahead to push him out of the way in time. The Maryoku exploded across the ground, with Shido looking at the large crater that was made by the impact.

"No way..." He breathed.

"It's just like when Kotori fought Tohka's Inverse state. While Tohka seemed even against Origami aside from having trouble with her long-ranged attacks, there was a noticeable gap when Kotori fought her." Mio mentioned.

"Then that means the Maryoku of an Inverse Form's power is able to overwhelm ours more easily." Shido realized, sweating a bit.

Origami prepared another blast, making the two get ready to run before she could deal another strike.

 **"White Licorice: Critical Driving Force!"**  
 **"Scarlet Licorice: Critical Driving Force!"**

A bombardment of missiles and lasers fired off at Origami, making the duo look behind them to see Ellen wearing the same Wiring Suit that Jessica had worn the day before, only it was white added to it.

Resting on her back was a white and blue version of the same weapon, directly above its red sibling.

"Ellen!" Mio exclaimed happily.

"Tohka's being difficult and Kotori made a little goof in trying to activate her spirit powers, so I'll handle Origami in their place!" She shouted.

Opening an arm of the White Licorice, a Territory suddenly formed around Origami's body, leaving Ellen the opening to charge the Scarlet Licorice's laser blasters at the Inverse Spirit.

"Not... good enough." She mocked.

She teleported from the Territory barrier, making Ellen's eyes widen as she appeared directly in front of her.

* * *

Kotori sweated a bit, trying to figure out what she was doing wrong.

"Come on, think Kotori! What did you do last time! Come on, you have to remember!" She thought, pushing her pointer fingers into her forehead.

Was it a certain motion? No, that wasn't it.

Maybe it was to call out her Angel? No, she clearly saw Tohka had only brought it out after her powers activated... wait, that was it! _Before_ that!

"What did she say before that?" She tried recalling.

 ** _"Nehemoth!"_**

She gasped as that moment came to mind, that single word from when she first saw Tohka.

"Nehemoth... a term from the Kabbalah! That's how she manifested her Astral Dress!" She realized.

Kotori took a moment to recall the name of her Astral Dress, but felt her brain fizzle as it became clear she only knew it by instinct. Luckily, she still had her phone, and decided to search for its name.

After taking a minute to look through her results, she found a link to the Sephirot Tree and saw the name _Adonai Melek_ tied to the Malkuth circle.

"There we go, so mine is..." Kotori stated.

Looking at her circle, the two words she was looking for hit her eyes and made her smirk.

 **"Elohim Gibor!"**

She jumped into the air as her clothing was set on fire, but rather than burning, it transformed into the kimono that was her Astral Dress. The success off her transformation made Kotori smile.

"Alright, now we're talking!" She exclaimed.

 **"Camael!"**

Summoning her fiery axe into her hands, she gained a serious expression before she flew off, ready to help Mio and the man she loved.

* * *

Ellen's eyes widened as Origami appeared before her, simply holding up her hand.

A huge flash of fired off her palm, hitting the DEM Wizard right in the face, and making her cover her eyes as temporary blindness impeded her vision.

"My eyes!" Ellen screamed, rubbing them with one arm.

"Get out of there!" Mio screamed, panicking at the current plight her sister figure was now in.

Unfortunately, her words didn't have a chance to matter.

Satan immediately fired at the strongest wizard of DEM, launching her towards the ground as the White and Scarlet Licorice machines flew off her back, making Shido duck to avoid being hit by them.

"Ellen!" Mio shouted, rushing towards her.

Looking up at Origami, Shido began to feel sweat trickle down his face as she prepared to fire at them again.

"The game... is over." She declared, motioning her hand for the final blow.

 **"Camael: Megiddo!"**

Origami's eyes turned as she saw a beam of fire launch at her, forcing her teleportation powers to move her out of danger. Shido and Mio both looked as they saw Kotori smiling at them from a distance.

"Kotori, you made it!" He exclaimed.

"And not a moment too soon!" She smiled.

"Sorry for the delay, took me a moment to remember the name of my Astral Dress! Turns out the first time I only knew its name by instinct." Kotori chuckled.

Ellen's eyes widened at that before she released a loud groan.

'We really should have remembered to make sure she knew every detail about summoning her powers...' She realized.

Re-positioning herself, Origami turned to her fellow Spirit.

"You will not... be enough on your own." She warned, charging more beams of dark light.

"Except she's not alone!" Tohka countered.

Turning around, the sight of a slash wave aimed at her made her teleport again, showing a frowning Tohka as she was shedding tears, wearing the true form of her Astral Dress.

It now had a black, cream, and pink color scheme to it, with the sharp areas of her armor now a bit more smoothed out. Her stomach was now covered with a black corset, though still exposed a part of her cleavage and her back. Her gloves were now fingerless and only covered her hands, with either cuffs or wrist guards that had a petal/flower-like shape covering up to near her elbows.

She still had stockings, but only the lower half of them could be seen through her barely unchanged shoes as her skirt had lost its translucent nature, and topping it all off? The signature butterfly-shaped ribbon she wore in her hair no longer looked spiked, giving it the true and natural shape of a real butterfly.

"Tohka!" Mio cheered.

Looking at Ellen, everyone saw her huff to their confusion.

"You said some horrible things and insulted me back at school. Honestly, I've never heard anyone be so disrespectful and willing to verbally abuse someone. Yet what hurt most of all?" Tohka stated.

"Really, that's what you took from-" Ellen said with a glare.

"SHUT UP AND LET ME FINISH!" Tohka ordered loudly.

That ended up working, as Ellen went completely silent from the intense volume of her voice, right as Tohka turned her head slightly and closed her eyes.

"Yet what hurt me most of all? It was... the fact every word of it was correct." She admitted.

Ellen's eyes widened at that, right as Tohka swung Sandalphon out, showing her full determination despite the tear stains on her face slightly distracting everyone looking at her.

"And that's why I'm going to immediately turn all those wrong and make you look stupid for saying them in the first place!" She exclaimed.

'I... can't tell if that was a compliment or an insult?' Ellen thought in confusion.

Warping closer to Kotori, the Spirit with power over Energy looked at the Spirit with power over Fire, who looked at her in return.

"Ready to fight alongside each other, but as allies this time?" Kotori asked.

"Just try and stop me, Salamandra." Tohka responded with a smile, using her fellow Spirit's code name as a sign of respect.

Kotori smiled back at her and took the lead.

"Then let's save Origami!" She shouted, reverting Camael to its axe form.

Swinging her Angel in a circular motion, a few lines of flame rushed at Origami, making her warp away as Tohka swung Sandalphon towards her, firing multiple slash waves in the spot Origami ended up at. This knocked her back quite a bit, making her grunt.

"This... may be a problem." Origami grunted.

As that was happening, Mio positioned herself to heal Ellen's wounds, although she couldn't do anything for her fatigue in the same manner that Kotori's couldn't restore her own stamina.

She did notice something deeper inside she was healing, but didn't know enough about it to question what it was.

"You doing better now?" She asked.

"Yeah, though my turn for a question... did you know something about Tohka learning about a version of herself with brown hair?" Ellen asked.

Mio gave a nervous chuckle at that.

"Well... during the battle with Tohka's Inverse state, I saw a few images. One of them had you, Ike, and Elliot doing what I presume caused my birth. A second image showed what looked to be Tohka if she was a brunette, and... then there was a third where I saw a person covered in magical energy." She confessed.

"Uh, about those. They're..." Ellen replied, trying to find the right words.

She saw Mio pull out the images she had drawn up, making her freeze as she did, especially when one of them showed her Aunt Reine in a moment burned into her head.

"The Avatar of Ain Soph Aur... or I guess we should be calling her Aura now, mentioned something to me and Shido, and now that she has? I have a feeling that you know something about my birth that you've been hiding from me." The Spirit of Origin continued.

Ellen froze as she heard all of this, looking at Mio's face to see an expression of sorrowful longing it. She closed her eyes, letting out a pained sigh.

She wanted to hide this forever if she could, but she could no longer do that... the time for the truth had come.

"Her name is Reine Murasame, and she was my Aunt, being my father's younger sister. She was the last person we lost before we destroyed what made us mages, but most of all..." She answered.

Mio noticed her eyes shaking, making her looked worried.

"Ellen?" She asked, never seeing her shake like this before.

"She's... the person you reincarnated from, the reason you were even born into this world..." The DEM Wizard revealed, lowering her head.

Mio's eyes widened at that.

Right as they did, she felt a ping through her head as once again as an image raced through her head... no, a whole memory.

* * *

 _Looking closely at the sky, he started to notice something odd about its swirling and released a loud gasp before he turned around to face his fellow mages._

 _"Quick, we all need to focus our remaining magic together and form a barrier! " Westcott shouted._

 _Hearing his panic, everyone began to do that, and right as the sky actually began to stretch towards the ground! It initially started round, but began to change into a sharp tip, like a spear ready to pierce the Earth itself._

 _And that's when it happened, the first Spacequake exploded as the Maryoku gathered in that spot exploded out, with all of the mages just barely managing to create the barrier in._

 _'It's as if... the word itself is bleeding!' Westcott thought._

 _However, what everyone failed to notice during this was the lock of Reine Murasame's hair, somehow untouched by the destructive power before them. At that moment, something within the dark power was seen, showing some kind of white light that slowly reached out for the hair before enveloping it inside a sphere like an egg._

 _The hair contracted into the shape of a small ball and then glowed as it began to expand out, creating a second explosion that was white... yet did no damage to anything it touched like its predecessor, with the Hermetic Trio seeing an unexpected sight in its epicenter. The hair was still there, until finally... it began shifting into a completely different form, something humanoid._

 _"What... is this?" They all thought._

 _It wasn't wrong for them to question what they were seeing. The humanoid form, and such a powerful glow within the light before them?_

 _It wouldn't be strange if anyone were to claim this moment was the 400 mages witnessing God manifesting right before them._

 _Strings of light soon flew off, appearing like long strands of hair, and then... what truly made it clear that this couldn't be God (regardless if it was the real deal or just as they knew/saw him) was seen as the shifting clearly showed a young, feminine form._

 _The light soon faded, leaving the female figure that had curled within to slowly stretch out, with her hair covering all the important areas._

 _"No way... this is!" Ellen gasped, looking at her uncannily familiar appearance._

 _On this day... she took form._

 _On this day... she would draw breath for the first time._

 _On this day... she had begun her story._

 _'All of the magic in the world, I don't think we destroyed it. We turned into something new!' Westcott theorized, his eyes still shaking at the sight._

 _While she would not understand it as she was now, on this day... she existed._

 _The nameless Spirit of Origin that inherited the teenage appearance of Reine Murasame opened her eyes, and for the first time in her life, saw the world that was now her home._

* * *

Right as the memory ended, Mio felt tears from her eyes, the kind of tears one would feel if they were someone that hadn't seen their mother in a long time and rendered them completely emotional as a result.

She didn't have to question why she felt this way, as it was clear to her why the Hermetic Trio never told her this.

"Your Aunt was... by all means, she was my mother." Mio realized, tears running down her face and dripping onto the ground in an almost rhythmically manner.

Ellen nodded her head, opening her now teary eyes.

"That's right, and now you know... why we didn't want to tell you. It was already hard enough for us to handle everyone and everything we had lost. We had no right to give you that burden." She confirmed.

"I... I..." Mio sniffled.

Shido walked up to his girlfriend, hugging her close as she hugged back. There were no words he could give her. Even if he did, anyone could tell by looking at her that it was physical comfort she needed right now.

"Then... what about Tohka?" He asked.

"That's... probably related to what killed her, and... when our one friend, Alicia Larsen, died." Ellen replied.

She closed her eyes, remembering the rest of the memory Tohka saw.

* * *

 _As she watched the sight before her, Reine made a serious face, finally having been pushed too far and refusing to let anyone else die in this nightmare. Jumping down where she landed, Alicia looked at her in surprise._

 _Everyone, even the machines stopped to look at her as she began to move her wand in a strange way._

 _"Hold on, those motions... no! Don't do it Aunt Reine, please! You know that Westcott told you not to use that spell you created on yourself!" Ellen screamed._

 _"Sorry, but you won't change my mind. This is the only way... I can make amends." Reine apologized._

 _Upon hearing those words, Ellen began to cry as she shook her head._

 _"No, please don't... I need you. If you die, then I won't have anyone left, so please don't do it." She begged._

 _Reine shed a few tears, looking at her._

 _"You know that's not true. I don't know which of them you'll choose, but I know how you feel about Isaac and Elliot... so don't say you'll have no one, because you'll still have them." She disagreed._

 _Ellen sniffled at that, knowing she had no words to counter her claim._

 _"Believe me when I don't want this to be goodbye, but... to me, your future is more important than my life. That's why I'll gladly pay it to keep them you and everyone else alive!" Reine exclaimed._

 _Finishing the writing for her spell, the sight of ten circles lined in the Sephirot positions appeared._

 ** _"Sephirah Soul!"_**

 _She shoved her wand where the spot for Da'ath should be, immediately making her clutch her stomach as the lines marking the 22 paths formed and the stabbed area made the final circle._

 ** _[_** ** _Date A Live: Opening - Instrumental_** ** _]_**

 _Reine grunted at the pain she was feeling before stretching her arms out to make a loud scream, unleashing rays of ten different colors from her body._

 _"Aunt Reine!" Ellen screamed._

 _"No!" Westcott shouted._

 _"Dear god..." Elliot breathed._

 _One of the DeNA robots stopped to watch the sight, its eyes altering to show a camera feed that went back to the DeNA's leader._

 _"This marvelous glow... just what kind of power has she achieved?" They wondered, showing a greedy smirk._

 _Reine breathed as she finally managing all of the pain as her eyes opened, showing a determined look as she walked forward, getting the attention of every DeNA robot as they fired lasers at her._

 _All of them simply vanished as they hit a ripple in the air._

 _"Karen... Nigel... Virgil... wait for me, I'll be with you soon. Right now, I need to make sure everyone else doesn't join us today." She requested._

 _" **Ekenor!** "_

 _That word shook the entire building as everyone saw a glow in Reine's pupils until they became completely white. Her outfit soon followed, changing into a mixture of a white corset and formal white dress, with golden accents and white flowers decorating it, all topped off with a silver necklace representing the negative veils._

 _Holding out her hand, the bodies of every mage that had already passed on transformed into energy that flowed and condensed on her palm._

 _Moments after this, the very same Angel that had Shido inherited was born, with ten other crystals similar to Ekenor's floating around her in the same colors as the rays of light that everyone had seen earlier._

 _"She... did it." Ellen breathed, covering her mouth as she cried even more._

 _Looking towards Alicia, who was starting to near her final moments, she kneeled down to her before placing her empty hand on her. Before anyone knew what it was meant for, Alicia's body began to glow, making her give a silent gasp._

 _"I can't save you, so please... lend me your power to protect everyone else as your last act of courage and defiance." Reine requested._

 _"Go ahead, if this is it for me, then let me go out having given it my all." She allowed, smiling one last time as she closed her eyes._

 _Her body dissolved and flowed into Reine's, who turned towards the machines._

 _Giving a loud scream, incredible power blasted out from every crystal around her, smashing through all of the DeNA machines like small rocks smashing through glass. As the DeNA's leader looked through the same robot, they began laughing._

 _"Yes, this power... this is what I've wanted for myself!" They exclaimed, raising their hands up as their laughter became a cackle._

 _Rising up into the sky, all of the power fell to the ground, causing an explosion that destroyed the remaining robots and decimating the blockade of the building that was keeping them from their goal._

 ** _[_** ** _Insert Song End_** ** _]_**

 _The 400 surviving mages were all shown to be OK, almost as if Reine's attack was made to avoid damaging anything that wasn't a machine... yet no sign of Reine herself could be detected by any of them._

 _"Aunt Reine? Aunt Reine!" Ellen called out, tears in her eyes._

 _"Hey, look over there!" Elliot shouted, pointing in one direction._

 _Smoke began to clear, showing the sight of Reine standing in place, making everyone smile. However, it was only a few seconds after she could be fully scene that their relief turned into horror._

 _Part of Reine's right arm and her face were dissolving into particles of light._

 _"My god... what's happening to her!?" Jessica asked, feeling her eyes shake._

The Hermetic Trio all stared at the sight, having their own special reactions to what they were seeing right before their eyes.

 _"It's all the magic she forced into her body. Doing it meant she took in everything that we could use it for." Westcott explained._

 _"Aunt Reine... why did you choose to die here?" Ellen questioned, still crying._

 _"She gave up everything, so we'd have everything we'd need to create our future..." Elliot breathed, feeling his wheelchair tremble alongside his shaking body._

 _Turning to everyone, Reine gave a tearful smile._

 _"Everyone... burn this sight into your memory. I want my last moments to be all of you looking at me as the one who gave all of you the future... that Westcott made us believe in... with my own two hands." She requested._

 _It was hard for them to do, yet everyone forced themselves to be strong and smile for that one moment, letting Reine do the same._

 _Holding up her hair, she ripped a lock of it off, leaving it to float over to Ellen's hand as a memento of herself. She stared in horror before her Aunt closed her eyes for the last time, completely dissolving from sight as her life came to an end._

 _"AUNT REINE!" Ellen screamed, sobbing louder than she ever had or would in her entire life._

* * *

Ellen watched as Kotori swung a fiery wave towards Origami, who teleported away into a spot where Tohka appeared behind her, swinging down against her form. Origami grunted as Sandalphon pushed her back a bit.

Aiming her hand at the Energy Spirit, she blasted out a surge of light, making Tohka scream as she crashed into the ground.

"Because of Alicia still being alive when my Aunt made that request, I think that maybe when she left the lock of hair that ended up turning into Mio during the original Spacequake, a part of her was able to find its way into the Sandalphon Crystal when it was created. Tohka... can't be anything else besides Alicia's reincarnation." She revealed.

"So, the reason she always collapsed when we brought Alicia up was because..." Shido realized.

"Even if her form was Alicia's, she didn't have any of her memories for her mind to recall, making her mind's attempt to find said memories overload her sense!" Mio exclaimed.

"And it was likely because I touched her during an instance of it that let her see that memory through her Reiryoku and the traces of it in my CR-Unit." Ellen assumed.

Having been nearby to get up, Tohka showed surprise as she heard the truth.

'Then... that means I _am_ Alicia, given a second chance due to how Mio was born to be Reine's second chance.' She realized, finally understanding her origins.

Grabbing Sandalphon tighter, she gave a light smile as she felt the sense of closure clear her remaining doubts.

'If this really is my second chance at life, then... Mio, thank you for allowing me to be born. Guess in the end, I really am your little sister.' Tohka thought, finding renewed determination to fight.

"Tohka?" Mio wondered, looking at her.

"I'm glad I met you all, now it's time I return the kindness you've shown me!" She exclaimed.

Origami barely had time to react as Tohka swung another slash wave at her, giving Kotori a chance to slash her after she teleported. This time, she held it so Tohka could slash her from the other side.

"Such... an annoyance from-" Origami sighed.

Her face suddenly froze, getting the duo's attention as she shook before she suddenly released a loud scream. Her Maryoku exploded out, sending the two shooting into the ground, leaving imprints of themselves.

"Can't... move!" Tohka grunted, her Astral Dress vanishing moments after.

"Damn it..." Kotori shouted.

Mio looked at them with worry and then at Origami, who was holding her head in pain, looking like she was about to go insane.

"No, stop it! It's a lie! That didn't kill me, it couldn't have killed me!" Origami screamed, crying as she swung her head around.

"What happened?" Shido asked.

"I think... up until now, Origami was acting on instinct to keep herself from thinking about the memory that made her enter her Inverse Form, but that work now because starting to if not completely regained her senses. That horrible memory must be the only thing she can think about right now." Mio theorized.

Both of them covered their eyes as a blast neared them, shooting some dust into the air. Ellen used the chance to run over to both Licorice machines, hoping she might be able to get them running again.

"Come on... please work!" She begged.

Origami began crying, showing just how horrible her current plight was. Mio couldn't take it anymore and looked at her.

"I have to find a way to help her... there has to be a way I can use my powers instead of just standing here!" She shouted.

Right at that moment, Shido noticed his hand glowing.

"Huh, what is this? I feel something... a word, no... a command maybe?" He wondered.

"Shido?" Mio said, looking at him.

Taking a moment, he tried to figure out that word he felt as he looked her way.

 **"Release?"**

At that moment, his glowing hand suddenly moved towards Mio, releasing a surge of Reiryoku towards her.

Gasping as she felt it, Mio looked down to see her clothes shift to be like some of her Astral Dress' long streams. She also noticed its signature necklace form just to emphasize the fact.

"What the? Mio, do you have any idea what I just did?" He asked, feeling worried he did something he shouldn't have.

"I don't... wait a minute, could it be?" Mio wondered, gasping a bit.

Taking a deep breath, she looked towards Origami before jumping up into the air... and started flying, making Shido's eyes widen before he smiled at the sight.

"I knew it! Whatever you did, it restored some of my power!" Mio exclaimed.

Origami kept releasing her painful screams, but soon noticed Mio flying her way.

"Mio... please, help me! I can't take this anymore!" She begged, her screams getting worse by the minute as she started crying.

"Bear with it just a little longer, OK!?" Mio reassured her.

Rising up into the air, she took a deep breath as she hoped her gamble would pay off. Making a certain motion, she moved her left hand into the air, opening it up like she was making some kind of prayer.

 **"Ain Soph Aur!"**

Unlike last time, a glow was seen in the air as Reiryoku gathered into the shape of a flower bud, soon opening into a flower with Aura sitting in the center.

"Aura, I need your help to save her!" Mio shouted.

"You need not ask, for I will always aid you." Aura promised, holding her hands out.

Their eyes flashed together.

"Now, bloom!" Both shouted.

At their command, the flower of Ain Soph Aur began to constantly emit particles of light that rained towards Origami, who's powers immediately teleported her... only for them all to home in on her and smash her all at once.

Unlike before, she took noticeable damage as part of her Astral Dress' veil was torn apart.

 **"Satan!"**

With her rampant thoughts still overwhelming her mind, Origami's Demon reacted to the attack and instantly began aiming beams of light at her.

"I'll take care of the rest Aura!" Mio stated.

"Understood." She replied, retreating into the Angel.

Putting her hand out, Ain Soph Aur began to shrink down until it became a palm-sized flower bud.

 **"Ain Soph Aur: Henet!"**

The particles from before came out as a concentrated energy beam, crashing through the Demon's attack and shattering Satan.

It then phased right through Origami's body, shredding her Astral Dress even further before she fell to the ground, now leaving nothing but the areas covering her important parts intact.

"Shido, your powers! Use them now!" Mio shouted.

Nodding his head, he rushed at her and then grabbed her shoulders before taking a deep breath.

 **"Silence!"**

 **"Purify!"**

Origami released a loud scream as Shido absorbed all her power, removing all the Maryoku that powered her Inverse Form, briefly making her clothes turn white in color before her clothing reverted to her School Uniform.

When her screams finally ended, and she was left with intense breathing and a heavy cold sweat, he pulled his hands away. Mio landed by him, undoing her Limited Astral Dress.

"Is she alright?" Ellen asked, looking towards them.

"Yeah, we've cleared out all the Maryoku's influence, so the worry about her Inverse Form is gone. For now, we just need to let her regain her strength and help calm her down about the realization she actually died during the Tenguu Fire." Mio reassured her.

Right as she said that, Origami opened up her eyes, looking at everyone as Tohka and Kotori climbed out of their imprint holes.

"Shido..." She breathed.

After saying that, she started to tear up and sniffle at what she did.

"I'm... I'm sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen, but..." Origami apologized.

Shido hugged her close, rubbing her back.

"It's OK, you aren't alone in this. Kotori found out the same thing happened. You can't be blamed for dying in a way that made you feel it was a horrible nightmare, but you're still here... and you can learn how to use your powers to help people." He comforted her.

"T-Thank you... Shido." Origami sniffled.

Realizing this battle was over, everyone gave a sigh of relief before smiling at each other. Especially Mio, who could now use at least one of her Angels and fly, meaning they were now four Spirits strong.

Unfortunately, their celebration was short lived as Ellen's eyes widened as she released a silent gasp of pain, making everyone turn as she suddenly fell towards the ground.

"Ellen!" Mio exclaimed.

The strongest DEM wizard immediately blacked out, making everyone see a heavy blast wound that had struck the backside of her Wiring Suit, leaving a nasty burn on her now exposed skin.

"I should thank you for weakening Devil, that only makes it easier for us to capture her... and the rest of you." A female voice stated.

Everyone looked at the sky, making them all gasp at the sight of Minerva with her Bandersnatch army, with one of the newer machines in the mix. The DeNA wizard's eyes piercing into their souls.

This battle wasn't anywhere near over, in fact... it had only just begun.

* * *

 **And Chapter 7 ends with a lot of questions finally getting answers! While it wasn't much of a secret that Reine had something to do with Mio, we finally now how the specifics behind it, especially how she was the precursor to all Spirits, with Mio being the result of the power she showed here working out its kinks. Tohka has also been revealed to be the reincarnation of an old friend to the Hermetic Trio, a mage by the name of Alicia Larsen.**

 **However, now the question is why did cutting what seemed to be an aspect of God draw in a lock of Reine's hair to create Mio out of everything that could possibly happen? Well, the best answer I can give you is that while today's reveals can be considered major... they themselves are only the tip of the iceberg for all of the mysteries tied to the full story.**

 **This chapter also marks the flashbacks revealing all of the major information. While they'll still appear throughout the story at times, this chapter is where I won't be starting every chapter with one. In fact, the next chapter will likely not even have one just to emphasize Minerva's situation more by leaving a bit of mystery to why she's not acting like her canon self.**

 **For how Ellen got the short stick in today's chapter? Aside from bringing the White Licorice and Scarlet Licorice to a battle where Pendragon had been a better option, this is to reference how when Ellen first showed up in the Yamai arc, despite her one moment of glory in breaking Sandalphon into pieces? Every other moment was her suffering in some manner. After this, she'll be more effective like she was by the Miku arc and beyond.**

 **For better emphasis on this, during the scene where Mio was healing Ellen and felt something she didn't notice? While she's unaware of it, she used a lot of magic during the Mages' war against the DeNA, a lot more than her body could handle, and that left it somewhat damaged internally in a manner that's this story's cause for her horrible stamina in canon. In a sense, Ellen had an injury not unlike Elliot's own, as does Westcott... though I'll reveal his latter.**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	8. Rise of the Squirrels

**Hey there everyone, and welcome back to one of the most exciting chapters of Spiritual Successor yet! Before we begin, there may be some people among my American readers who may have not heard of this yet, so let me just say... that Rio Reincarnation HD is coming to the West for a localized release! It'll be released on the PS4 and Steam at some undetermined date in Summer 2019.**

 **Anyways, we last left off on the arrival off Minerva, giving our heroes another wave of trouble after they just saved Origami from her Inverse state. This first battle has had its build up for some time, and now we've reached the point I'm sure many of you have literally been waiting to see for months. Not only this, but as the chapter's name might already tell you, we have something else that will be debuting in this chapter.**

 **This chapter will also be where the story will pause on progressing things for a while, as I think some of the characters deserve to get their time in the spotlight. Not to mention after how I've set up the world in the first chapter's backstory, you've probably been dying to learn a bit more about how the events of 30 years have affected things outside of Tenguu City and even Japan's borders.**

 **That eventual bit of story ideas aside** **, this is the chapter where the reason behind why Minerva's so intentionally different from her canon counterpart gets revealed, and I'm sure what I reveal will be something that nobody will see coming. Especially since she'll be bringing something from DAL Encore V8 with her when I finally unveil the answer. My advice? Get your popcorn ready, because this chapter is gonna feel like a roller coaster ride.**

 **So, without any further delay, let's get this next chapter started!**

* * *

 **[Chapter 8 - Rise of the Squirrels]**

Looking into the sky, everyone (minus the downed Ellen) stared towards Minerva and her army of Bandersnatch, with one of the newer machines in their ranks, as they did the same.

"Is that..." Origami asked.

"Yeah, this woman is obviously a wizard that works for those selfish jerks in the DeNA." Tohka confirmed.

Origami blinked in confusion, having been absent for that tidbit.

"Uh... we'll explain it later." She promised, chuckling awkwardly.

Pointing her blade at the group, the ace of DeNA focused her gaze as her collected face finally shifted into a more serious look.

"Genesis... Devil... Empress... and Efreet, it's quite the honor to finally meet you all. My name is Minerva, and I will be the one that will destroy you all and take your powers for the glory of the DeNA." She declared.

"N-Not on our watch!" Origami exclaimed.

Kotori looked at her, soon widening her eyes as she saw Origami try to manifest her Spirit aura.

"Wait Origami, don't try to-" She warned.

 **"Ehyeh!"**

Unfortunately, her Astral Dress' true form failed to manifest, leaving her to suddenly slump onto her legs as if she just got hit by a sugar crash.

"My powers... what happened?" She asked.

"I tried to warn you, if Shido uses his _Silence_ ability on any form of Reiryoku, the original source will be unable to recharge itself for a small period of time." Kotori explained.

'Of course, so that's why Kotori's Astral Dress didn't dispel from hitting the ground like mine did!' Tohka realized.

Looking back at the dangerous wizard before her, Kotori felt her own words hit her as it became clear what kind of fight they would be facing here and now.

'Tohka might be able to push a little power if we give her some time to recover, but Origami won't be able to regain any of her power before this chick lays a smack down against all of us. That means only Shido, Mio, and I are able to fight, though Shido's still not sure how to use his powers... not to mention Mio only just regained some of hers.' She thought.

Kotori mentally screamed in response, gripping Camael tighter.

'Damn it! She just had to take out Ellen, leave us in a horrible position, then gloat about it! Well, she isn't actually gloating, but... oh, forget it! It's still annoying!' Kotori growled, readying her Angel.

 **"Adonai Melek!"**

Kotori, Mio, and Shido all turned to see Tohka manifested her Astral Dress again, but this time in a limited form like that of Mio's.

"I figured if Mio could manifest it slightly, the same might work for me. As for Origami..." She explained.

Kneeling by her, she formed an energy orb before pumping it through her just with a small push into her chest. Origami gasped as she manifested a Limited Astral Dress like her own. Her Angel formed to reveal it was only different from Satan by the pillars being gold with small light blue sections.

"What did you..." Origami questioned.

"My elemental affinity is Energy, so I figured that would let me transfer some of my remaining Reiryoku to you. Though now I've got nothing else." Tohka answered.

"Here, let me help you two out a little while she seems to just be standing there." Mio offered.

She began healing them, giving them back some of their lost strength, though not very much.

It was then that Shido noticed that Minerva hadn't moved at all, despite having every chance to do so... which is when he realized something that hadn't happened since she appeared before the group.

Not once had she her blinked her eyes.

'I hope that isn't some kind of Seirei Ability that allows her to read our minds or something similar, otherwise... we'll all be in big trouble when she starts moving.' He hoped.

As he said that, Minerva's pupils briefly shifted in size at that very second.

"Bandersnatch army, attack! Jabberwocky unit? Destroy them!" She exclaimed, pointing her sword forward.

 _"ACKNOWLEDGED!"_ The Bandersnatch exclaimed.

 _"ACKNOWLEDGED."_ The Jabberwocky replied, having a deeper voice.

They all rushed ahead, leaving the Spirit Team to respond to their charge.

* * *

Those within DEM Industries began typing like crazy as they tried to figure out what was going on, seeing the visual before them and the readings showing Ellen had completely lost consciousness from Minerva's surprise attack.

"I can't believe the DeNA managed to pull something like this!" Kawagoe shouted, sweating a bit.

"We have no response from the Reiryoku Pulse, we can't restore Ellen to a conscious state!" Minowa stated, trying to think of an alternate plan.

"Bandersnatch forces are estimated to be over 2000 units and counting!" Mikimoto warned, seeing the number still rising.

Westcott sweated a bit, having only felt such overwhelming stress and panic hit him during the battle that forced Reine to sacrifice herself for the surviving mages and the destruction during the Day of the Black Earth.

"Do we have any status on the current states of the others?" Elliot questioned, looking at Shiizaki.

"Overall fighting capacity based on stamina is as follows. Shido at 85%, Mio at 92%, Kotori at 68%, Tohka at 32%, while Origami is at a mere 10%." She answered, also checking their emotional state for stress and stamina levels.

Realizing they needed aid, Westcott turned towards Nakatsugawa.

"Send in the AST, they need reinforcements before their fatigued states are used to the DeNA advantage!" He ordered.

Nakatsugawa raised his gloved fist before his glassed shined in response to his intensity.

"You've got it! Jessica, you and the AST prepare for deployment! We're-" He exclaimed.

 _"ACCESS DENIED!"_

Everyone looked to see a strange cat-like robot appear and disappear like a chameleon. Nearing the console, it revealed a tail that stabbed into the console, unleashing a powerful electric discharge.

In moments, the DEM's systems all went haywire as their screens all showed ERROR messages, showing how scrambled they had become.

 **"INITIATING QUARANTINE DEFENSE!"**

That sound alone made Westcott's eyes widen as the entire DEM HQ immediately closed off all its doors and caged them within, with the machine known as a Cheshire Cat laughing in an electrical tone before it exploded, causing the entire building to enter a blackout.

"Oh no, all systems are down!" Elliot realized.

"Now the AST can't deploy to help them, we've been completely cornered." Westcott stated, sweating a bit.

He pulled up the emergency visual screen, watching the current situation as his gaze focused itself at Mio.

'Unless... yes, there may just be a chance. The only question now is if they'll figure it out in time to stop this DeNA wizard.' He thought, forced to put his faith in what was currently a slim hope of victory.

* * *

As Minerva was still staring down Shido's group, the sound of a beeping transferred through as she got confirmation on something.

"The secondary set up has been verified, good. I was starting to worry they'd attack before I knew things were ready to begin." She stated, raising her sword into the air.

 **"Clarent!"**

Her sword immediately ignited with energy, but in a much darker color than what the AST had been shown to use before now.

"Get ready, here she-" Kotori exclaimed.

She never finished as she was immediately struck by the dark sword, flinging her through a multitude of buildings that immediately crumble after she passed through. Once Kotori managed to get back on her feet, she panted as the impact lingered on her stomach area.

'My Astral Dress isn't even damaged, yet I'm still feel the attack? Just what kind of monster is this woman!?' Kotori thought, focusing her sight towards her.

Origami immediately teleported as Minerva slashed at her, only for her to immediately flip the blade and shift it into a canon. The resulting beam aimed at where she was about to reappear, forcing Tohka to intercept it with Sandalphon's blade.

"Hurry, attack her while you have a chance!" Tohka grunted, barely holding it back.

"R-Right!" Origami replied.

Motioning her hands forward, the feathery pillars of Metatron got into position.

 **"Metatron: Kadour!"**

Each pillars broke formation and fired their beams of light at the DeNA wizard, making her close her eyes as she reverted her sword from its cannon form.

"Anti-Territory, deploy." She said.

The red barrier the Bandersnatch used against Jessica reappeared, but in a stronger form as the lasers failed to even scratch it.

"What!?" Origami gasped.

"That's not like the ones Ellen's group used against me!" Tohka exclaimed.

Shido felt himself sweat as he recalled how easily they defied Jessica's territory. However, seeing it and remembering Origami's weakened state gave him an idea.

"Mio, try attacking her when she uses that again." He suggested.

"Huh?" She blinked.

"I've got a theory about that strange Anti-Territory, one we can only prove if you or Kotori can attack it." Shido explained.

A wave of flames soon surrounded Minerva's body, making her raise an eyebrow before she noticed Kotori dive at her.

"Your flames won't do anything to me like this, Efreet." Minerva declared.

Kotori spun a bit, causing a flaming tornado to surround her, making the DeNA wizard show some surprise to it.

"You underestimate me!" She shouted.

"And why is that?" Minerva questioned.

The fiery tornado flared at her, but the dark-skinned wizard sighed as she simply slashed at them... only for one flare to show Kotori jump out, making her eyes briefly shift as she realized the opening to parry her was too small for any chance of success.

"Look at your own actions for the answer to that question!" Kotori smirked.

Screaming as she swung her Angel down, Minerva immediately deployed the Anti-Territory again... only for it to start cracking! Within the flames, Mio's eyes widened as she realized what Shido did.

"Of course, now I get it!" She smiled, forming her Limited Astral Dress.

Flying up into the air, the flower bud of Ain Soph Aur bloomed once more as Aura took her position in aiming it.

"We're locked on." Aura confirmed.

"Now bloom!" Mio exclaimed.

Firing the energy blasts at the DeNA wizard, she immediately felt the red barrier shatter from the force before it pummeled the spot she was standing in like a chain reaction of grenades.

"You realized that Origami and Tohka were so weakened right now that their power was around the same level as Jessica's barrier was when they negated it. Didn't you?" Mio asked, landing by Shido.

"That's right, so I figured that it wasn't meant to work on a Spirit at full power. Though how'd you realize that on your own?" Shido confirmed, followed by his own question.

"When I saw the Territory technology firsthand, I noticed it had a resemblance to one of my Angels' abilities, so I asked Westcott about it. He confirmed that it was created based on that very Angel's power, so it didn't take that much to realize it wasn't as effective against Spirits as it was against a Wizard." She explained.

Shido showed surprise at that.

"I knew that he was smart, but for him to actually reverse-engineering something like that? How has he not managed to defeat the DeNA yet!?" He questioned.

Tohka and Origami sighed in relief.

"Glad to hear it was us being on fumes instead of her being invincible. Still, you do make a good point about how the DeNA's still around." Tohka replied.

"Maybe they have a way to clone all those automatons they use?" Origami guessed.

At that moment, Kotori screamed as she was struck into Shido, catching the others off guard as Minerva's silhouette began to walk out of the flames with just a strange... limping of some kind?

Whatever reason her movements were odd, it was clear she was still kicking despite the damage Mio had dealt to her.

"No way, she's still in solid shape?" Shido shouted in shock.

"How? I just hit her with so much power!" Mio exclaimed.

Minerva was seen holding her arm as she came out, with a spot on her leg being blocked from view by her sword, making Mio raise her eye at the strange choice of action and positioning.

'That can't be random, but why is she hiding them from view?' She wondered.

"CR-Unit functions are still going. Mordred, activate recovery injection." Minerva stated.

She briefly shook as her suit tightened, releasing a draining sound as liquid went into her body. Before anyone knew it, her body moved like it was never damaged, fully represented by moving the very arm she had held without any difficulty.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Tohka complained.

Shido gritted his teeth as Minerva readied herself to attack again, making the others notice him start to glow.

"Now, time to finish this." She stated.

"Enough of this! I don't know what you're after or what you're doing, but I won't let you hit Mio, Kotori, Origami, Tohka, or anyone else!" He screamed.

With that, a familiar Angel's power began to glow.

 **"Ekenor!"**

Minerva suddenly widened her eyes as a huge burst of light slammed into her, making the others cover their eyes as well.

Once it was finished, everyone saw the Bandersnatch were only stunned this time, if only because Shido may have not been as focused on aiming at them as he had been with Minerva. However, when they saw the wizard in question move, everyone gasped at the sight.

"What... the hell?" Shido breathed.

* * *

At the DEM, the visuals were struggling to speed up to real time from the recent damage the Cheshire Cat left, with everyone besides Mildred (who was trying to get their power back and the quarantine undone) looking at the battle.

Then came the moment when Minerva announced the name of her sword, making everyone gasp in response.

"Did she just say Clarent?" Elliot asked.

"She did, but the only one who should have that weapon, much less the Mordred CR-Unit is..." Westcott answered, looking a bit nervous.

And he had good reason for it.

Not every wizard that had ever been part of the AST was a good apple, there was a time one Wizard in their ranks had been a problem for the sheer fact she wanted to be one of the higher numbered call signs.

Eventually, this got so bad that during one of Tohka's early arrivals, one of their members was left seriously wounded by her choice of actions.

This left Ellen no choice but to discharge her, finding her desire to be better as too great a hazard for her to ignore... though not before she stole the CR-Unit her ID was registered to and somehow preventing it from being frozen.

"It doesn't make sense. That's clearly someone else, so how did a wizard from DeNA manage to make it their own?" Elliot questioned.

Even Westcott had no answer, but his eye briefly widened as he noticed the leg she hid from the visual's angle, seeing something that Shido and the Spirits didn't get to see from their perspective.

"No, it can't be!" He gasped, finding the answer to his question.

It didn't take long before the visuals finally began to happen in real time, and the next event finally revealed the answer to everyone.

* * *

Minerva slowly got up from the attack, holding her face as she did, but the damage had already been done... everyone could see what she had been hiding before. The answer was standing there in place sight.

Her right arm, which showed steel wires that looked to have 50% of their structure glowing.

"Oh, my god..." Origami gasped.

"She's a machine?" Tohka questioned.

"No, not a machine. Take a closer look." Mio replied, pointing at the spot again.

After the long delay, a slight bit of blood finally came out before her own mechanical implants moved to block any more blood from escaping.

"You're right, she can't bleed if she's just a machine. The only thing with mechanical parts that can do that is... a cyborg!" Shido exclaimed.

Hearing Shido's words, Minerva sighed as she shook her still covered face.

"To think that I'd be so careless. Well, perhaps it doesn't matter. I'm already at the point where hiding anything is pointless." She replied, moving a hand to her face.

*"RIP!"*

At that moment, she ripped something off her body, showing the sight of white skin with black hair replaced the dark skin and blond hair everyone had become somewhat familiar with. Even the scar on her eye was shown to be fake.

Following the removal of her fake appearance, her CR-Unit and its sword broke apart to reveal a black one underneath it.

This one was much more revealing and made those who saw it think of a Black Widow Spider in human form, not unlike the one Eldritch deity that just happened to have a form inspired by the very species of arachnid.

"Wait a minute, that appearance... I think I've seen this woman before. Where was it?" Mio thought aloud.

She closed her eyes, trying to recall where she saw her face, eventually coming to the day where she asked Westcott about the Territory technology. It had been when after leaving a room, she accidentally knocking over some files that showed this girl's face with a red X marking across it.

The name listed on the girl's file was...

"You... you're Alice Liddell, a former member of the AST who was retired from duty!" She realized.

"Wait, what!?" Everyone shouted in surprise.

Hearing her real name be spoken, Alice began to clap her hands as a slight praise to Origin Spirit.

"It makes sense you would somehow learn who I was Genesis, no doubt you didn't even need to ask the man who plays god about it. If only a genuine deity like yourself was the one running things instead of him." She confirmed.

Mio gave Alice small glare upon hearing that.

"I don't view people as blockades to knock down for my own desires. Honestly, that alone tells me why you lost your position." She retorted.

Alice sighed, shaking her head.

"Had this been in the past, I'd have surely gone into a rage upon hearing that. Thing is... I honestly think that it was the best thing in my life to be thrown out and brought into the DeNA's ranks." Alice confessed, surprisingly calm.

'Wait, did she just thank the DEM for what they did to her?' Shido thought, feeling his eyes shake.

She looked at them, raising her hand as eight whips released themselves from the back of her CR-Unit, forming spiked spear blades on each.

"I began hunting Spirits on my own, finding a few the DEM hadn't encountered yet. Though all it led me to was being completely overpowered and left for dead as I laid on the ground like a wolf's paralyzed prey... then the DeNA came." Alice revealed.

Her eyes briefly closed as she recalled the cybernetics they implanted in her body, saving her life while heavily altering her wild mental state.

"They saved my life with cybernetic enhancements, then gave me this power as I found myself to finally tame my own wild emotions. I became stronger than I ever could, now all I need to do to keep it... is claim all the power of the Spirits!" Alice explained, holding out her hands.

The spear arms launched forward, making Kotori and Tohka swing their Angels at them... only for each Angel to shatter in an instant.

"Your flames are too weak and your energy is too drained, it's useless to resist." Alice replied.

 **[** **Pokémon XY &Z: Opening Theme - Instrumental** **]**

Tohka grunted before stomping the ground, briefly making everyone briefly fall over (minus the DeNA machines) as Sandalphon's throne rose up. It wasn't long before she broke it to form her Angel's strongest form.

She screamed loudly, holding the blade out.

 **"Sandalphon: Halvanhelev!"**

Tohka immediately followed this by reeling it back, then swinging it down with all her strength.

The DeNA wizard moved her hands to have all eight of her CR-Unit's arms launch forward, immediately striking the ethereal blade and shattering it into nothing. Tohka's eyes widened with a silent gasp.

'No way... and so easily!' She thought, barely registering what happened.

"Bandersnatch, feel free to act now. I've toyed with these weaklings for long enough." She stated, yawning slightly.

 _"ROGER!"_

All of them immediately rushed ahead, with many choosing to swarm Tohka as they all slashed their claws at her, making her scream as her Limited Astral Dress immediately disappeared.

Origami panicked and tried to move Metatron's pillars to counter them, only for a few to immediately latch onto them.

 _"ANTI-TERRITORY!"_

Immediately, all of them unleashed red barriers that caused the Angel's pillars to fall to the ground like a failing helicopter. This left Origami completely defenseless as more of their fellow Bandersnatch did the same thing to her as Tohka, leaving her without her Astral Dress as well.

With both of them down, the Bandersnatch immediately pressed them into the ground, making them scream as they tried to force them unconscious with the mere pressure of their strength being pushed against the ground that resisted it.

"Tohka! Origami!" Shido screamed.

He tried to shake his Angel, hoping that it would somehow make it unleash its power once again to help his friends and lover. Unfortunately, Ekenor didn't respond in any manner.

 _"CONVERTING TO AIR MODE VERSION 2!"_

The Bandersnatch immediately switched to their faster mode as they rushed at Kotori, giving her almost no time to swing as they dashed and clawed at her. Kotori kept healing, but after minutes of numerous strikes, she felt herself collapse to a knee as her healing slowed.

'Oh no, if this keeps going my healing will eventually hit its limit!' Kotori panicked, realizing why the flames were starting to flicker out.

Mio was getting overwhelmed herself, but spun as she and Aura kept whittling down their numbers the best they could. However, it wasn't long before Shido could notice her panting slightly, a clear sign she wouldn't be able to keep going for much longer.

Finally, the intensity of watching the scene made Shido gave the angriest face he could recall forming in his life, followed by his eyes shining a bright gold.

"Let them go... let them go!" Shido demanded, starting to glow.

All of the Spirits briefly glowed as he unleashed a huge burst, slamming a huge wave of Reiryoku into Alice with enough might that she actually had to parry against it. The intensity soon surged out, knocking all of the Bandersnatch to the side and destroying them all.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

Alice showed slight surprise at this, seeing only the Jabberwocky survive by defying its programming due to the threat it sensed and attack the surge, only losing its left arm.

"Shido..." Mio breathed, surprised by how much power he released.

He immediately fell over, forcing her to catch him as the Spirits regrouped around him, with Alice staring at his form with slight interest.

 _"ALICE, THERE IS SOMETHING ODD ABOUT THAT BOY'S POWER."_

"Hmm... yes, I think you're right. This power doesn't feel like that of a normal Human that's part of the Seirei Era, almost like he's both a Spirit yet not, or rather... he's only Half-Spirit." She replied, feeling suspicious.

Just what was this boy hiding? It didn't seem like he knew, while the DEM wasn't involved with it, even Mio herself was surprised when she regained some of her powers.

Was it possible that somehow, unknown to everyone else... for another party to be involved?

'If that is the case, then it may be unwise to keep him alive. There's no point to capturing someone who's existence will undermine our efforts.' She thought.

Getting back up, Shido looked at everyone.

"You all alright?" He asked.

Tohka and Origami nodded, with the latter using the former to support her weakened form.

"We're fine, but we're out of Reiryoku." Tohka answered.

"I'm still good, but this chick's too strong... how do we beat someone like her? She's countered everything we've thrown at her!" Kotori questioned, her body shaking a bit.

Shido wondered the same, looking at her as she contemplated her next action against them.

'We've hit her with everything, and even Mio wasn't able to defeat her. If only we understood how I released that beam and restored some of her... wait, that beam!' He thought.

He remembered that the color of the beam had been violet, the same color as Tohka's Reiryoku.

It was almost as if it had been... no, it must have been the same power he had drained from her!

'And I just drained Origami, so maybe... yes, that's our chance! We just need to buy me a moment to prove I'm right!' He realized, smiling as he realized the still had hope.

Alice's eyes widened at that.

'He's smiling... just what is that boy planning!?' She wondered, knowing it meant something.

"Everyone, I've got a plan but can't explain it! Can I trust you to run and follow me!?" He asked.

All of the, looked confused, though nodded their heads.

"No one else has a plan, so I guess there's no harm in taking one more leap of faith." Mio replied.

With that, all of them began running away.

"You won't escape!" Alice exclaimed.

 _"ACTIVATING SPEED BOOSTERS!"_

Alice jumped on the Jabberwocky as the Automaton charged towards them, with everyone noticing them following her.

"Mio, are you able to use Henet again?" Shido questioned.

"Just once or twice before I risk using up all the power I have left... will that be enough?" She asked.

"More than enough." Shido smiled.

Turning around, she formed the smaller Ain Soph Aur flower in her hand.

 **"Ain Soph Aur: Henet!"**

She unleashed the blast, causing Alice to swing her sword into the ground and create a huge wall of smoke and dust. With that having been done, Shido stopped and then aimed at Mio, confusing her as a white glow formed in his palm.

 **"Release!"**

Mio recognized what he was doing as it hit, gasping as more of her Astral Dress materialized until it was more like Tohka and Origami's from before, showing the sight of platinum leaves on her current attire.

"Shido, what's going on?" She asked.

"Try your second Angel!" He shouted.

Unsure of why he said that, she immediately took a deep breath before focusing on the silhouettes moving through the smoke.

 **[** **One Piece Film Gold: Daigyauten** **]**

"Here goes..." Mio breathed, looking nervous.

 **"Ain Soph!"**

Before anyone knew it, the landscape warped into a monochrome state that resembled a black and white chessboard, with a huge metallic tree looking like it was made from wires rising up from the center.

This tree started to grow branches as it breached past the sky, covering itself in flowers resembling the Ain Soph Aur's form when at the size of its Henet technique.

From within part of the trees that began growing a few platinum-colored leaves, everyone saw the head of a young girl with long faded pink hair that reached to her legs, with eyes of a deep pink. However, that was all that could be seen of her due to the leaves covering most of her body.

"Hi Mio, it's great to see you again!" She smiled, waving her hand.

"Whoa, so you're the avatar of Ain Soph?" Shido asked, quickly realizing it after his recent meeting with Aura.

"Yep, and I recall you gave my fellow Avatar a name, so... pretty please?" She replied, giving puppy dog eyes.

Mio gave an awkward laugh, having seen that coming miles away.

Taking a moment, Shido tried to think of a good name that fit the same theme that he used for Aura's, eventually making his decision.

"How about... Sophie?" He suggested.

In response to that suggestion, the Avatar of Ain Soph's body immediately began to glow.

Her full body was revealed as her Astral Dress formed, showing she was now wearing a bow at the top of her head and a lavish pinkish-red dress with a gold emblem on the center, also containing a large robe that reached to her feet.

"I definitely love it, Sophie it is!" She quickly approved.

Shido smiled at that.

As they cleared the veil of dust/smoke they were covered in, Alice and the Jabberwocky began to move oddly, as if they were unable to move as the laws of physics should allow them.

"What's with all these errors? And why can't I move right?" She questioned.

"That's the power of Ain Soph. DEM created their Territories through studying this, and the fact wizards can sue it to a certain area of space to a limited degree through doing so? The Ain Soph takes this a step further by outright rewriting the laws of reality within the checkered area. If she doesn't want you to move right, then that's the law of Ain Soph" Sophie explained, smiling as she did.

Her fellow Spirits and Shido felt their jaws drop at that reveal, while Alice showed some surprise before changing her facial expression back to normal.

"Fine then, Anti-Territory deploy!" She announced.

While it wasn't perfect and a bit sluggish, Alice was able to restore her movement enough to at least have control of how she was moving. The Jabberwocky didn't have the same luck and simply onto its back.

"I'll buy you time Shido, do what you have to!" Mio shouted as she looked his way.

Shido nodded, looking at the others who returned his looks as they nodded in response.

"I don't think so!" Alice shouted.

The spears on her CR-Unit's arms opened up, releasing a powerful blast from within towards Mio, who countered by holding out her hand.

 **"Ain Soph: Anaph!"**

One of the Ain Soph's branches stretched out, sharpening itself into a sharp blade that cut through the attacks, leaving Minerva to move around as she tried to parry the branch and not lose her Anti-Territory field.

Shido soon dragged the other three Spirits to another area, looking at Kotori.

"I figured out why I was able to help Mio use her Angels, it seems draining Tohka and Origami helped me restore some of her powers!" He explained.

"Wait, so you're saying..." Kotori quickly realized.

"Yeah, that if I do the same with you? We might be able to restore her complete Astral Dress and her final Angel. However, the problem is how big a gamble it will be to pull off..." Shido confirmed.

He then turned towards Alice, who quickly widened her eyes to confirm she had heard him.

"Alice will try to interrupt us, so we need to create an opening that doesn't give her a chance to prevent it. Think you three can help me out?" Shido asked.

"This is crazy, but have I done anything that isn't in the last half hour or so?" Kotori replied, agreeing to his plan.

Alice immediately dashed at him.

"You'll never get the chance, I've determined you're far too dangerous to keep alive!" She exclaimed, readying her arms again.

Sophie whistled, getting Mio's attention as she aimed the Anaph transformed branch into her path, quickly cutting her off.

"If you two need an opening? Well, then let me give you one!" Tohka offered.

Grabbing the both of them and Origami, they all looked surprise before Tohka used her overwhelming strength to toss them into the opposite direction. Alice immediately caught this and turned around, slicing the branch before charging at them.

"Origami, throw us!" Kotori shouted.

"I hope this works..." She gulped.

She wasn't able to outright toss them like Tohka had, but the distance caused Alice to rush right past them, making her gasp before she turned to try and close the gap before she lost it again.

"Sorry, but not this time!" Kotori smirked.

 **"Camael: Megiddo!"**

Alice blinked in confusion, soon seeing Kotori's Angel was floating in midair in its cannon form, immediately blasting a jet of flame at her.

"Do it now, Shido!" Kotori exclaimed.

"Right!" He shouted.

Kotori threw him towards Mio's direction, right as he managed to touch her shoulder.

" **Silence!** "

Kotori immediately fell to the ground tiredly, her Astral Dress fading away as all her Reiryoku left her body. Upon hitting the ground, she gave the man she loved a tired smile.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

"Go for it, Shido..." She said, having full faith in him.

Alice flew after him, sending her arms forward as he neared Mio, making both of them stretch their arms out.

"SHIDO!"

"MIO!"

The arms were only an inch away from hitting him... but it was too late. Shido and Mio had already grabbed the other's hands, letting him say the magic words that would win the fight.

 **"Release!"**

Alice's eyes were blinded as a huge red flash went off, replaced by a rainbow light.

 **[** **Maken-Ki Two: Opening** **]**

"Yes, they did it!" Tohka cheered.

"No Tohka... we did it, all of us created this moment together." Origami smiled.

At that moment, the both of them and Kotori glowed.

"H-Hey! What's going on here? Why do I suddenly feel like I'm on a sugar rush!?" Kotori questioned, looking at her hands.

All of them gasped as they had their Astral Dresses and Reiryoku restored.

Origami finally got to see her true Astral Dress in its pure state, showing it was based on a wedding dress. She even felt a similar hair clip in her hair like the one from her Inverse Form, but with a gentler look to it.

For its actual design, it had a white bow with a gem attached to her neck, with an area that left her cleavage on display while the dress and a plating not unlike Tohka's that covered the important parts. Additionally, there were gold extensions attached to both her hips and forearms. The edges of her skirt had armor that folded like flower petals, but away from her body to resemble wings, having tips that were also gold in color. Topping it off were boots like Tohka's, which were also outlined by Gold.

"Our powers have been restored!" Tohka exclaimed.

"But how?" Origami questioned in surprise.

They got their answer as a golden ring appeared, showing spots for spherical copies of all 15 Sephira Crystals, with the copy of Mio's already in place. Shortly after it appeared, the spots where their copies should be were filled with them.

Finally, the light contracted to show Mio as she held Shido in her arms, standing in front of the ring as it attached to her Astral Dress.

Looking at her form, they all saw her complete Astral Dress, which itself to be something like a Greek Goddess wearing a toga. Her teddy bear was even seen hanging off a golden ornament around the spot near her right hip.

At that moment, she truly looked like the Goddess that everyone claimed her as.

"Whoa..." Kotori breathed.

"She's beautiful, like the naturally good looking without even trying kind of beautiful." Tohka replied, her eyes sparkling.

Landing on the ground with her bare feet, she placed Shido down.

"Hey... Shido? How do I look?" Mio asked, feeling slightly bashful.

"I... I think I just fell in love with you again." Shido admitted, blushing heavily at her form.

Origami blinked a bit.

"Yeah, I've got a lot to tell you about after we're finished here..." Kotori replied, looking at her.

"W-Whoa... I'm flattered, but maybe you should flirt with me later?" Mio asked, not failing to notice Origami and Kotori's reactions.

Shido chuckled in embarrassment, with Alice sweating a little at the sight of Mio.

"Alice Liddell, my name is Mio Takamiya... a name graciously given to me by the one who I met long ago and taught me how to live. How to love instead of hate. A lesson that, had I not learned, would have made me as you may have wanted me to be. However, this world and all of its people... they are dear to me, and there's someone I found love with..." She said softly.

Her power began to flare out, showing rainbow-colored Reiryoku being emitted from her body.

"I was born through a desire to protect and preserve, not to destroy. That gave me the powers I have now in the form they chose to take. They are the powers that saved this world, the very world that I fell in love with have come to see as a treasure I must protect, so if you dare to threaten it? Then you and the DeNA should know this." Mio warned, her voice still gentle.

"W-What's going on here?" Alice questioned, feeling more power build up.

Mio held up a hand, causing a ripple without form to gather around it and then manifest as something formless...

Her final and most powerful Angel.

"I will fight you with every ounce and fiber of my being!" She exclaimed.

Alice gritted her teeth, launching her CR-Unit's arms forward once more in an attempt to silence Mio for good.

"You don't scare me!" Alice shouted.

 **"Ain!"**

Mio's eyes flashed as she held her hand out, expelling a huge burst of white light that clashed against the arms as they opened up once more, spewing a tempest of Maryoku against the formless Angel's storm of Reiryoku.

The Spirit of Origin grunted as they were locked in a powerful stale mate, with Alice smirking a bit at her achievement.

"Don't give up Mio, you can beat her!" Shido exclaimed.

Ekenor released its power at that moment, firing towards her as Mio's eyes widened. She looked to see her own Sephira Crystal glowing from within, linking to its representation on her back to make it even brighter.

"Take my strength too!" Tohka offered.

"You've given us all a second chance in more ways than one, accept our gratitude!" Kotori exclaimed.

"Don't give up... go!" Origami shouted, shedding a few tears.

Their bodies all glowed as their Angels materialized, releasing beams of light into their respective Sephira Crystal's spot. For that one brief moment, everyone's powers united, making Alice gasp as Mio released a loud scream that gave her a huge push forward!

Ain's power surged past the Maryoku striking against it, completely vaporizing the arms as they were swallowed inside. Alice's eyes widened as it struck her.

"No, how can... how is this possible!?" She questioned.

It fully enveloped her, making her release a scream as the pain finally overpowered her senses.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

Once the attack began to fade away, everyone looked to see Alice wobbling a bit, with the Jabberwocky having half of its body gone from being caught in the blast.

When she tried to get up, Alice's pupils were all fuzzy, showing her eyes were cybernetic as well, only left in tattered clothing as her CR-Unit had been erased entirely. Panting a bit, Alice weakly held a finger towards Mio.

"You actually defeated me... though it's just this battle you've won, not the war. I will return one day... and destroy you all." Alice promised, taking her loss surprisingly well.

"Who says we'll even let you escape?" Kotori questioned.

Alice gave a small giggle, soon changing into cackling that wouldn't be so out of character had her personality not changed from her transformation into a cyborg.

"Oh, so you're willing to let innocent people die?" She inquired.

Everyone's eyes widened at that, right as they saw the city starting to move as it did when moving the shelters back to the surface after a Spacequake ended.

"See, I came here with six Jabberwocky units, but only one joined me in battle. Now, let's see what choices you'll make when they put other people at risk while your entire city watches what you really are, and the DEM can't do anything to help you." Alice smirked.

Moving near the damaged Jabberwocky, it immediately lit up with the last of its strength before grabbing her and taking off, barely staying afloat as its engines started dying.

"People are in danger, but... where are they in danger?" Shido questioned.

"If we just fly around, we'll cause a panic and people might think we're something dangerous, especially with the Angels resembling weapons." Mio mentioned.

"And based on what happened to Ellen, that warning about the DEM being useless doesn't sound fake." Origami added.

Vehicles soon got back onto the surface, but the moment they did... the remaining Jabberwocky machines could be seen on them, immediately discharging electricity as all their systems were given critical damage.

The first sight was a bus that began speeding up, making everyone inside scream as the driver found they couldn't stop or slow down.

* * *

Back inside the DEM, everyone noticed what was happening, spotting a similar problem with a classic and monorail train, a boat in Tenguu City's water routes, and an airplane flying in from Okinawa.

All of them had been sabotaged by the Jabberwocky units, giving them damage that threatened the lives of their passengers.

"This is bad! From what I'm seeing here, the damage done to these vehicles is really bad! As in if nothing happens to stop any of them... they'll all crash with as many casualties as there are people riding inside them!" Nakatsugawa warned.

"But the Spirits can't just go and help either! If we can't let everyone know what's going on, they might be seen as the problem instead of the solution!" Minowa mentioned.

"We have to do something!" Kawagoe shouted.

Westcott held his head as he sat down, unsure of what to do in this situation. For once in his life... he _couldn't_ find the answer.

'Reine, if you were here... would you be able to find the answer? Is this like when you sacrificed yourself without your presence to save us?' He thought, feeling himself shaking in fear at what might happen.

As everyone saw no hope, Kannazuki's eyes suddenly widened as he thought of a possible solution.

"Mildred, your Seirei Ability lets you give an indefinite charge to something using a rechargeable battery, right?" He inquired.

"Yeah, but why do you ask?" Mildred questioned, looking confused.

"Because there's someone I can reach that might just give us the means to turn this around." He smiled confidently.

* * *

Within Rindouji High, the students were all worried as they heard the news about the vehicles that were all threatening to crash. As this was happening, Tamae heard her phone ring, recognizing the number as she immediately answered.

"Hello?" She answered with a whisper.

"It's me sweetie." Kannazuki replied.

Tamae gasped happily as she heard her husband, quickly lowering her head to the ground, moving to look like she had dropped something.

"Honey, do you know what's going on right now?" She asked.

"Yes, the DeNA tried to fight the Spirits and are now giving them a difficult choice. They fried our systems and we won't be able to restore them in time. I need you to find Saya and then say _Threat 5_ to her. She'll know what to do, and hopefully... that will be enough." He explained.

"Uh... OK, I'll go find her." Tamae promised.

Looking at her students noticing the sight of the monorail train passing by, she quickly snuck out to find the Student Council's office, where Saya was currently working.

Upon seeing Tamae, she quickly gasped.

"Ms. Okamine? What's wrong?" She asked.

"Kannazuki asked me to tell you this... _Threat 5_." Tamae answered, panting a bit.

Hearing that, she immediately pressed a button underneath the table.

A screen rose up as she began typing on its connected keyboard, managing to access a secret connection linked to DEM Industries' still functioning visual screen, then crossing a wire linked to the school's speaker system.

"People of Tenguu City, please listen to me!" She shouted.

* * *

As everyone was panicking, they saw Saya appear on every screen in Tenguu City, even ones inside the endangered civilians' vehicles.

"My name is Sawa Yamauchi, the Council President of Rindouji High School, but right now... what's important is you're aware DEM Industries implanted me here for the sake of an emergency like this. Right now, a group known as DeNA has sent automatons to sabotage the five vehicles that are threatening to crash and cause untold damage and casualties, all for the sake of making the people who can't save us unable to act due to you mistaking them as the real threat!" Saya announced.

Everyone showed surprise at that.

"They believe they can get away with this, but we had our countermeasures set up in advance. These people aren't like your average members of the Seirei Era, they're something even more special, so you must not panic! Most of all, after this all ends? We promise to explain the truth to you. For now... Shido, Mio, Tohka, Kotori, and Origami? If you can hear me right now, show the DeNA to know unlike before, Humanity now has something to bring us together!" She exclaimed.

With that, the broadcast showed the vehicles from the camera satellites hiding through the use of Invisible Realizers.

Meanwhile, with the members of Shido's group, they all saw what happened from where they were and immediately smiled at the chance that they had just been given.

"You hear that everyone?" Shido asked.

"Take that you DeNA idiots! Guess you aren't that smart after all!" Tohka cheered, raising her hand.

"Here's the plan. Origami will go help the plane, Kotori will help the boat, Tohka will help the bus, while Shido and I each help one of the two trains. Shido, your powers should let you know which one you should take." Mio decided.

Shido nodded his head.

"Right, now let's hurry and save all those people!" He shouted.

 **[** **Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Counterattack** **]**

With that, everyone split up, with Mio and Shido staying together due to the implications they were set to crash into one another. Tohka quickly found the bus and smashed the Jabberwocky off before lowering her head to look at everyone.

"Everyone! Move onto the left side of the bus and hold on! Driver, get to the nearest body of water so everyone can jump out!" She shouted.

"Uh... sure, but what are you going to do?" He asked.

"Just trust me, we don't have much time for me to explain before you risk hitting someone or something!" Tohka replied.

With that argument settled, the people inside all moved to the left, giving Tohka the chance to cut right through the right side. Everyone covered their faces from the wind as the driver moved near a lake.

"OK, swerve towards the land and then jump off! I'm going to make sure this bus doesn't follow!" She screamed.

Everyone widened their eyes, but quickly readied themselves as the swerve came, jumping into the water. When the driver finally did the same, Tohka smashed her left hand into the hood before stabbing Sandalphon in the ground, sweating as she held on tightly.

With a huge scream, she flipped the bus onto its side, letting its continuously spinning wheels drive against nothing but thin air. Without any ground, the bus was now officially stopped.

"Is everyone alright?" Tohka asked, panting a bit.

The people all cheered, with the visuals marking a green check to make it clear the first of the five rogue vehicles had been taken care of.

* * *

Kotori landed on the boat, where a huge hole was seen causing water to flood in, with the stairs that would bring most of the passengers to the safety of the deck unable to open due to being powered by the malfunctioning systems.

"Stand back, I'll try getting this water taken care of!" She warned.

Everyone moved away from her spot as she swung Camael to make a large hole near the corner between the wall and the ceiling linked to the deck.

"Alright, here goes..." Kotori breathed.

 **"Camael!"**

Unleashing her flames, the Angel began heating the water into steam that exited from the hole, though that didn't help very much due the area where the water was leaking in still pouring in more from a spot Kotori wouldn't be able to sear shut.

"OK... that bought me some time, now I need a more permanent solution than this." She told herself.

Taking a moment, she then flew towards the captain, getting his attention.

"Hey, is there anywhere the boat could get stuck and not sink underwater? I can't plug up the hole that's flooding where all the passengers are trapped." Kotori asked, explaining the situation.

"We have somewhere I've been steering towards as we speak, problem is we might not make it in time, not to mention I'm already pushing the ship past its limits." He answered.

"Then just stay on course, I'll handle the rest." She smiled.

Diving back to where she was, she cut through the waters once again before taking a deep breath and moving near the hole the water was pouring in from.

'I hope my air doesn't run too low after I say this!' Kotori hoped.

 _ **"Camael: Megiddo!"**_

As the water altered her voice, her Angel transformed before blasting its fiery charge, steaming the water around her into bubbles as the ship was boosted near an area of land. Kotori struggled to hold her breath for long enough until finally...

*"BANG!"*

Everyone felt a shake, immediately cuing Kotori to swim back inside and take a deep breath before she passed out. Flying back to the outside, she cut a new opening near the area near the land, getting everyone's attention.

"Everyone, this way!" She warned.

Kotori kept motioning her hand as everyone got out, helping anyone who couldn't climb out on their own. A helicopter soon arrived to help everyone else get off the ship.

* * *

Origami reached the plane, stopping by the area where the pilots were before knocking on the window to get their attention.

"Just so I know what to do, what's wrong with the plane!?" She asked.

"Our landing gear's jammed and one of the turbines is shot! We're gradually descending without a way to ascend or go completely straight!" The right pilot explained.

Nodding her head, she rose her hand up.

 **"Metatron!"**

The feathery pillars appeared, soon moving under the plane's wings and body.

 **"Metatron: Kadour!"**

The Pillars all pushed against the plane, while Origami moved under the spot with the landing gear for when it was ready.

"Does your navigation still work!?" Origami asked.

"No, but we're close enough that we can simply guide you! Just make sure the plane keeps moving in a straight line!" The left pilot replied.

Origami kept her focus, seeing the air port's landing area after a few minutes.

"There it is, handle the rest while I free the landing gear!" Origami exclaimed.

 **"Metatron: Shemesh!"**

Her pillars soon shifted and spun around her, firing off light particles like a glowing rain to help cushion the descent as she opened up the landing gear's panel... only for it to fly off and land somewhere on the grassy landscape.

"Uh oh... guess I've got to change my plans for how I land this plane." She realized, sweating a bit.

As they neared the ground, Origami quickly turned around as Metatron's pillars began nearing her.

 **"Metatron: Mal'akh!"**

Her pillars shifted and changed into a pair of wings on her back before pushing near the missing landing gear panel, making everyone inside feel the shaking as the pillars sliced into the ground.

Once the plane managed to land, she fired an orb of light on the other turbine, causing it to shut down and let the plane stop.

"Sorry for the rough landing, but we're here!" She smiled.

The pilots slumped in relief, while the flight attendants guided everyone to the doors as they readied the slides, while send up machines that would have them bring their luggage off began to drive over.

* * *

Mio carried Shido as they flew near the two trains, with the classic train smashing through the crossroad point that signaled they had now entered the same path, guaranteeing they'd crash if neither was stopped.

"Alright, this is the last thing we have to do before this is over! Get ready!" Mio exclaimed.

"Right, throw me!" Shido replied.

She spun around before tossing him to the classic train, leaving her to dive at the monorail. Holding her arms out, she pushed against it, struggling to hold it back as it slightly shifted in resistance, making the sides grind against the walls that helped to slow it down.

"Shido, do it now!" Mio screamed.

He nodded his head as she punched the monorail's engine, making her scream as he felt lightning course through her veins.

"Please be enough, please don't let us fail!" He begged, slapping his hand on the train's front as he clutched Ekenor tightly.

 **"Silence!"**

The train glowed before all its power was sapped away, causing the steam to overload the system and spout out of the sides. With the power he gained, he pushed against it like Mio was doing with the monorail, with everyone watching as they pushed with all their might.

As the two trains neared each other, everyone felt their adrenaline running as it was about to be cut close, with steam from the classical train soon blinding the sight of what had happened.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

"Quick, someone try to get a visual!" Saya begged.

The satellites moved, trying to look at things from another angle, but ultimately? The steam had to clear before anything could be seen... with the trains having stopped with only a distance of 15 feet between them!

"They did it! The trains have been stopped! They stopped the sabotaged vehicles and did it without a single casualty!" Saya cheered.

Everyone cheered with her, while Shido was seen panting as he turned to see Mio lying on the tracks, her Astral Dress gone as she ran out of steam. Picking her up in a bridal carry, she soon opened her eyes.

"S-Shido... did we do it?" She asked, breathing tiredly.

"We did, all of us. Great job in keeping the promise you just made." He smiled, reminding her of the words she told Alice.

Mio smiled back, followed by the two kissing as everyone gave the expected _Aww~_ in response.

* * *

Westcott sighed in relief, giving an impressive smile to what he saw, right as Mildred managed to restore the DEM's HQ power.

"All systems are back to 100%, this is our victory!" Mikimoto announced.

Everyone cheered in response, while Elliot looked at his friend's relieved face, then at Kannazuki due to how his quick thinking had been what let the Spirits save everyone.

"The people know now, huh?" He mentioned.

"Yes, and perhaps like Saya herself said... we're no longer as we once were. The mages were alone, but that's not the case for the Spirits in this generation, as Humanity truly does share that deeper connection with them through the Seirei Era." Westcott smiled.

"Most of all? We may have the means to stop the DeNA, the one thing we couldn't achieve back then." Elliot replied.

At that moment, Westcott heard his phone ring and then opened it.

"Ike? What just happened, and why does my back feel like it's on fire?" Ellen asked, trying to regain her senses as she rubbed her forehead.

Elliot chuckled at that.

"I'll explain later, just know that as of today... our future is finally starting to look brighter." He smiled.

* * *

In another location, Alice heard what happened through the now downed Jabberwocky's systems, making her sigh as she turned her head. Taping a few buttons, she got into contact with the DeNA leader.

"Alice, where's your CR-Unit?" They asked, looking surprised.

"Our attack failed, we actually lost... even worse? They even countered our backup plan. I can't say this attack was anything besides a complete failure." She answered.

Turning around, the DeNA boss saw Alice tighten her fist.

"I lost to them... while they had all been weakened in battle! How am I supposed to take that?" Alice questioned.

The leader didn't answer.

"Alice, is there something else on your mind?" The leader asked.

"Yes... that boy, just what is he really? Because the power he has seems to be what could make Genesis and the Spirits a true threat to us. I don't think he's someone who will aid us, but the real threat." She replied.

The DeNA leader went silent, releasing a deep breath as they crossed their arms.

"Perhaps we have underestimated the DEM, so perhaps we should focus on developing the means to fight him, the fully restored Genesis, and both the current and hidden Spirits for the time being. When the moment is right... the DeNA shall be the group that prevails." The leader decided.

Alice nodded her head.

"I shall wait here for pickup, but in the meantime? I need you to upgrade my old CR-Unit, so I can crush the DEM's hope with one of their prized creations." She replied.

The leader nodded before cutting the connection, with Alice sitting on the ground as she began repairing her cybernetics.

* * *

The next day, a large crowd in Tenguu City was gathered around Rindouji High, where the sight of Westcott on a podium standing on a stage could be seen. The Spirits, Shido, Tamae, and Saya were all seen on it as well.

On the sides of Westcott, the other members of the Hermetic Trio stood by him as the crowd looked his way.

"We're all gathered here today to mark the heroism of the five who saved the lives of many from certain death, and the two who made it possible. Shido Takamiya, the son of my good friends who watched over his girlfriend Mio Takamiya, the one who stopped the Day of the Black Earth's destruction over 30 years ago. Then there are the other three Spirits of Kotori, Tohka, and Origami, who all guaranteed the lack of casualties. Finally, we thank Sawa Yamauchi and Tamae Okamine, who kept us calm during the chaos." Westcott announced.

Everyone clapped, signaling Westcott to take out a box showing five gold medals and two more grandiose medals made of platinum. They walked up to him before bowing, with Shido and Mio getting the platinum medals and the others getting the gold medals.

"As of today, all of Tenguu City... and one day? Hopefully all of Humanity will now depend on you. This group you've formed bears our future on its shoulders, so I hereby announce Shido Takamiya the leader, and Mio Takamiya the sub-leader of this group." He declared.

"Thank you, both of us will do our best." Shido promised.

"If I may, I've even decided on what we should call our group." Mio requested.

Nodding his head to approve, Mio walked to the podium and faced the crowd.

"We are Ratatoskr." She stated.

"Ratatoskr?" Everyone repeated.

"The Sephirot is considered the World Tree, and in Norse Mythology, there is similar tree known as Yggdrasil. Many species are link to this tree, but one in particular is a squirrel known by the name of Ratatoskr. This may seem like a weird name for such a small animal, but many don't realize Ratatoskr is the size of a tank, so combine that with how Asgard Electronics help develop Realizer technology... I suggest this name as a way to represent the message we wish to give the world, while referencing we're much bigger than what we appear to be." Mio explained.

Seeing the well thought meaning behind the name of their group, Westcott smirked before nodding his head.

"Very well, from this day forth... these seven are the first members of Ratatoskr!" He announced, raising his arm.

Everyone clapped their hands in applause.

 ** _"And so, the future began to turn once again with the creation of Ratatoskr, marking a new hope that would begin from Tenguu City. No one knew where things would go, but they knew they wouldn't give up the fight, no matter what it took. Earth was their home, and they would protect it from the DeNA's ambitions with everything they had."_**

Walking off the podium, their fellow students began asking them questions, with Saya clearing her throat as she took the heat off everyone else by answering in their place.

"It feels nice to not have to hide what we are from everyone... even if it's just our hometown." Kotori remarked.

"Say, what about Saya's position? Is it in jeopardy because she confessed the DEM had put her in there on their own whims?" Tohka questioned.

"Not at all. They did get a little heat, but people let it slide because it saved so many lives." Tamae answered.

Everyone sighed in relief.

"I guess for now, this battle's over. Question now is what comes next?" Shido asked.

"Well, there's one thing I know." Mio replied.

Shido looked at her as she took his hand in hers, soon leaning her head against his as she gave a blushing smile.

"I'm glad that I'm still here and met you, because after so long... I finally found my place in this world." She said.

Tohka sniffled a bit, turning her head to wipe her eyes.

Origami and Kotori both gave teary smiles, as while they couldn't be the girl he loved most, they were still happy for the couple standing before them.

* * *

Inside Tenguu Airport, two girls could be seen watching the broadcast of Ratatoskr's formation.

The first of the duo was a girl with long blue hair, who could be seen sipping a raspberry and lemon smoothie at a speed that made one question her lack of brain freeze.

Besides her was a girl with long hair of a light Indigo color, her defining trait being the massive bust she possessed.

"I don't know what happened while I was gone, but it looks like he did something crazy." The first girl remarked.

"Oh, do you know him?" The second girl inquired.

"Well of course I know him, after all... he is my little brother." She answered.

* * *

 **There you have it, Ratatoskr has finally been born with Shido and Mio being the ones who lead it! Hope you also liked the reveal for why Minerva, or I guess rather Alice, wasn't acting like her canon counterpart. While there were implications that she was ex-DEM by who she was alone, I doubt anyone expected me to make her a cyborg that was using her actual appearance as a mere disguise.**

 **For why I did? It's because for a time, I misunderstood how she died in the Date A Strike manga due to it lacking a translation, causing me to think the Ashcroft units combined into a robot that she fused with, but have since realized most likely crushed her after forming. While for her CR-Unit itself? It was the one Kurumi is seen using from DAL Encore 8, so I thought her using it once would be a nice addition.**

 **We finally met the Avatar of Ain Soph, who Shido named Sophie, and it's none other than... Rio! I knew having her would be odd due to her being a Shido/Rinne child by all means, and decided this was the best way for her to enter the story, especially with my plans for Rinne. There's another reason for this, but I can't talk about it until the Avatar of Ain makes her appearance.**

 **Since the battle's over now, we'll be focusing more on the Spirits and their relationship with Shido for a while, as that will be important to setting up the harem becoming a reality. Not to mention, I'd like to give a chapter focusing on the other Ratatoskr members before we introduce the two from the ending scene that I'm sure you've already recognized by the fact she called Shido her brother.**

 **Speaking of the harem? Kotori and Origami will get more focus because they already love Shido, but now have to face their feelings with the thought they can't be his main girlfriend, while Tohka's going to start showing the signs, but isn't as certain due to her only romantic spark being how Shido's meeting let her discover her origins. It will help that while she's going to have her Inverse persona's maturity, her personality will start being more like her canon self.**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	9. Spiritual Sunday

**Hey there everyone, Christmas is fast approaching, so I decided that the monthly update for December should be sooner than later. The previous chapter was pretty intense, and everyone seemed to really like the surprises that it gave, especially all the twists related Minerva/Alice especially. Having her as a cyborg really gave me some freedom for having her act different and making a big reveal.**

 **Good news is Mio regaining access to all her powers didn't worry everyone either, nor did the fact Ain didn't erase her as much as damage her cybernetics, though I should explain those further to be safe. While Mio can now use all of her abilities, she also has much less Reiryoku to use. Basically, while she's stronger than the other Spirits when they're not in their Inverse Forms, they have more to use until the rest of the Sephirot Ring is filled.**

 **And in case anyone's still confused? Due to how they were created, the Sephira Crystals are like vital gears in a machine to Mio, so missing her link to them made using her powers nearly impossible until she linked with Shido, while it took some of Tohka's Reiryoku to summon her Angels or attack with it. With the events of last chapter, her Reiryoku pool is 45% the size of the other Spirits' pools, and she'll only regain 5% as she links to the remaining 11 Crystals.**

 **Ain in particular, along with all her Angels, still function the same way they do in canon... though how they actually execute what they do is what's different here. Due to how she was born in canon, I think that Westcott influenced all of her powers due to his dream. Since this Westcott didn't have those thoughts, her Angels instead focus on incapacitating a foe to reflect this, rather than killing them or erasing them from existence.**

 **That's all for those explanations, so last thing I'll say before we start this chapter is a reminder that story progress has taken a pause for the moment to allow Tohka, Origami, and Kotori have some time to be in the limelight, both for romance and not for romance. While we know about their pasts, we haven't really gotten to know them in the present day due to everything that was going on in the last two arcs.**

 **Now that all of that's been said, let the chapter begin!**

* * *

 **[Chapter 9 - Spiritual Sunday]**

The scene opened to the Takamiya household, where Mana was already awake as she brushed her teeth, her hair wet from the shower she just took. Spitting into the sink, she pulled her hair into her signature ponytail before walking by Shinji's sleeping form.

"Honey, I'm about to make breakfast, just a heads up." She whispered to him.

"Alright... I'll listen for the call." He mumbled, still sleeping.

Mana smiled a bit, still amazed how that was the one thing he could understand while half-asleep in the morning. She immediately walked out to go check on Shido and Mio, beginning with the latter's room to see a note attached to her door.

"Glad to see she took what I taught her to heart, it just shows both of them are being serious about their relationship." Mana smiled.

The note in question let her know that she went into Shido's room last night, using a specific word that only she and Shinji would understand to explain why she had.

Walking up to the door of her son's room, which had the same note to be safe, she gave it a loud knock.

"It's me, are you two awake yet?" Mana asked.

"Yeah, do you need something?" Shido replied.

"Nope, I'm just letting you know that I'm getting started on breakfast, so get ready and meet me downstairs." She answered.

"Alright Mana!" Mio cheerfully answered.

Closing her eyes and continuing downstairs, the matriarch of the Takamiya Family smiled at how much Mio and her son had helped each other both emotionally and mentally. Though at the same time... another problem was present.

Kotori and Origami were still in love with him, and she had no idea if Shido was in favor of having a harem.

"If Shido were to find out, I know he'd be unable to break her hearts... and I don't want him to question anything about his relationship with Mio through it. I just hope things end well for all four of them." Mana said to herself.

Unaware to her, Sophie had been eavesdropping on the conversation and had heard everything she just said.

* * *

On the outside of the area that contained the Takamiya's section of Nankou, the sight of the houses which included the ones belonging to the Itsuka's and the Tobiichi's, could be seen as another house was now under ownership. Inside the home was the sight of Tohka, biting a bread pillow she bought.

As she was dreaming about being in a sea of Kinako bread she was eating like there was no tomorrow, her alarm clock went off, making her yawn as she released her bite.

"Mu... the sun's up already? But I was having such a nice dream." Tohka groaned sadly.

After getting up for a few seconds, her eyes widened as she gasped, showing they were now sparkling as a thought flew into her mind.

"Hold on, I can make that dream a reality!" She realized.

She immediately hit her alarm before rushing into her bathroom, noticing all of the rogue curls that had formed in her hair overnight. Grabbing her brush, she used her free hand to gather her hair before fixing it with one might pull.

Following that, she jumped into the shower and finished quickly before getting back out and tying her signature ponytail with her butterfly ribbon.

"Ta dah!" She smiled.

Grabbing her usual outfit, which was the one she was wearing during the flashback to her birth, she ran into the kitchen and grabbed her recipe book. Another gift she received after growing to love her _Kinako Sandwiches_ as she named them.

"Let's see, which one should I have for breakfast?" Tohka asked herself.

She closed the book before shaking it back open, landing on the recipe for a Meatball Sub.

"Ooh!" Tohka exclaimed.

Moving to her pantry, she grabbed some Kinako bread before gathering the ingredients she needed, slipping on a yellow bandanna and apron before placing the meatballs on a frying pan and the sauce in the microwave.

From there, she hummed and waited as the meatballs began sizzling in the frying pan.

"I really need to pre-make some sandwiches in advance, maybe I can ask the others to help me since I did just move in." She thought aloud.

While waiting, she turned to look at a framed of picture of Alicia Larsen that Ellen had gave her.

"Sometimes I wonder how you passed the time? I bet you did some pretty jumpy things." Tohka giggled, imaging what those things were.

*"DING!"*

Tohka's eyes widened as she turned around, seeing the sauce was finished at the same time the pan began to _really_ sizzle.

"Oh, that was faster than I expected." She chuckled.

With both tasks over, Tohka mixed the meatballs and sauce together before opening a hole in the Kinako Bread to put it in.

"Alright, guess it's time to go meet up with the others." Tohka decided.

She quickly went outside, an elated expression on her face as she took her first bite of the meatball sub. Though the oddest thing she noticed upon doing so was the sight of someone she didn't recognize.

The girl had long hair of a soft pink color that reached to her shoulders, with a small braid acting like a hairband resting on top of it. The attire she chose to wear was a white and red dress with blue shorts peaking from underneath it, a silver necklace with a heart charm, and a pair of brown sandals.

'She looks my age, but I don't remember seeing her at school. Did she just move here recently or something?' Tohka wondered.

After noticing Tohka, the girl turned to reveal she had pinkish-brown eyes.

"Oh, hello there. Do you live in this neighborhood?" She greeted.

"Yeah." Tohka nodded.

"I apologize if I was intruding in this area, but the garden was just so beautiful that I had to see it up close." She explained, gentle rubbing her hand on a flower.

Tohka looked at the garden, only now noticing the beauty and care put into it.

"No worries, you're fine. Though I do need to ask... are you new to this area or something?" Tohka asked.

"Yes, I just moved here the other day." She confirmed, nodding slightly.

Bowing her head slightly as she gave a curtsy to Tohka, the pink-haired girl gave a light smile.

"My name is Rinne Sonogami, a pleasure to meet you." Rinne greeted.

"Oh, uh... I'm Tohka Yatogami, same here." Tohka replied, bowing a bit.

She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about this girl felt odd... then again, she was probably still feeling a bit off from having just moved into Nankou a few days back. Not only that, she did occasionally overthink a few things.

"Well, guess I'll see you around." She replied, walking off to meet her friends.

"Nice meeting you." Rinne waved.

Looking at the Spirit's retreating form, she placed her hands over her heart for a reason she couldn't explain.

'She felt so... familiar somehow, but why?' Rinne thought.

* * *

Within the bathroom of a certain house, a panicked scream came out of Origami's mouth as she pulled on her hair brush... which somehow got stuck in her hair. Panic tears flowed out of her eyes as they went white, struggling to get it out.

"Seriously, how did this even happen!? Mom!" Origami exclaimed.

Poking her head in, the brunette woman known as her mother, Shizuka Tobiichi came in. A look of confusion on her face as she wondered why her daughter was shouting for her.

"What is it sweetie, are you-" She asked.

She trailed off as she saw the brush situation her daughter head, making her blink at how this scene even happened.

"Uh..." Shizuka blinked.

"I'm not even sure how this happened." She answered, blushing in embarrassment.

Realizing her daughter was likely in pain, Shizuka walked in before grabbing her daughter's free hand and placed it on the shoulder opposite to where it was stuck, using the other to grab the brush.

"On three, grab my hand tightly and I'll pull it out." She stated.

"OK..." Origami nodded.

"Now one, two... three!" Shizuka exclaimed, feeling Origami squeeze her hand as she pulled.

*"RIP!"*

Origami briefly screamed, holding part of her head as the culprit of the brush getting caught in her hair was revealed to be a clump of it that bunched into a ball that tightly locked around a few strands.

The good news is she only lost around three to eight strands of her hair out of the hundreds of thousands that could have been ripped out.

"Yikes..." Origami stated.

"Just be lucky this clump wasn't made from the hair still on your head." Shizuka mentioned.

Her daughter paused at that.

"Honey!" Origami's father exclaimed from the kitchen.

"Coming Kouki!" She exclaimed in return.

Seeing her mom walk off, Origami finished brushing her hair until it was fresh, allowing her to leave the bathroom and get dressed for the day.

Her chosen attire consisted of blue, short-sleeved Cardigan over a white V-neck shirt with a sash belt held by a gold ring, which showed off a gold necklace, dark blue and navy-blue plaid shorts that consisted of a mix of squares made by single lines and groups of three lines, and brown boots.

Also, her trio hair clips were now gone, having since been replaced by the one from her Astral Dress.

"OK, now I'm ready." She smiled.

Right as she walked outside, she noticed a few people in the neighborhood gathered together as a blimp flew overhead.

Said blimp had a screen that was playing an advertisement.

 **"Boys and Girls of Tenguu City, prepare yourselves for the sensational songstress of Japan's idol world as she concludes her National Tour of Japan with the grand finale of all concerts at Ten-Oh Square next week!"**

At that moment, a video replaced the current image as music began to play, getting Origami's attention.

 _"Are you ready? Sweet, Sweet Heart!"_

 _"Be Ready! Be ready! Sweet, Sweet Heart!"_

The screen flashed with lights before as the very idol singing in the advertisement appeared in front of the recording.

"Come see me on May 7th through May 12th for my greatest concert yet, you won't be disappointed!" She smiled.

With those words said, she vanished from the screen as a flash returned everything to the music video, which had skipped towards its ending moments to build up the full song being sung at the concert.

 _"She is ready! Summer Girl!"_

The advert ended the recording with an image of the concert's promo.

Origami swore she had seen the girl before, though with the recent events over the week since Mio returned and Ratatoskr's formation? She wasn't surprised that nothing was clicking in her mind's attempt to put a name with the girl's face.

"We have been through a lot though, not to mention with Westcott still gathering intel for Ratatoskr's first possible expeditions..." Origami realized.

Humming a bit, she gave a brief nod before smiling.

"I'll go tell the others, a concert like this one could be just what we need to refresh ourselves." She decided.

As Origami left to meet up with her friends, a familiar trio was seen as they held two tickers for said concert.

"We managed to win these two, but how would a third cost?" Ai mentioned.

"Hmm... let's see, a ticket for just a single day would be around 5000 yen, but since these aren't all day tickets and meant to give access to everything except going back stage? That's got another 10000 yen or so, then you apply tax..." Mai thought, struggling with everything.

Mii took out a calculator and got the result.

"22500 yen, we can pay for that without leaving our allowance tight if we split the third's cost between all of us." She stated.

The three sighed in relief.

"Even if it had left us tight, I'm pretty sure this concert would be worth it." Ai remarked.

"Totally!" Mii agreed.

Right as they went to buy the tickets, all of them noticed a girl with blue hair walk across the street before entering a story, making Mai rub her eyes.

"Am I the only one who saw that, or did you see it too?" She asked.

Both of them nodded their heads, making them all question why they apparently saw Shido dressed in girl's clothes.

* * *

The boy in question suddenly sneezed at that moment, getting Mio and Kotori's attention as they ate their breakfast.

"Weird, I wonder where that came from?" He asked.

"Maybe someone was talking about you." Kotori remarked.

Shido looked at her, making her immediately look away, pretending to hit a fly before he could say anything.

Mio giggled at the sight.

"Hey kids? Out of curiosity, how has school been for you three since your nature as Spirits went public?" Shinji asked, trying to sweep away the tension before it formed.

Mio took a sip of her milk before looking at him.

"Pretty well, though everyone in our class did ask us a bunch of questions after the ceremony finished." She answered.

All three of them quickly flashed back to the experiences of that day.

* * *

 _Tohka was shown to be looking a little nervous as her class' notable trio surrounded her desk, with the only reason she didn't just walk away being the fact she considered them friends after they helped her to the nurse office the one time._

 _"Come on, tell us what it's like being able to swing a big sword like that! You have to be really strong to do that!" Ai praised._

 _"I still can't believe you're a reincarnation of a mage, what does that feel like?" Mai asked._

 _"Ooh, ooh! I tell us about how you use those energy powers? You didn't even need those to save the bus and I'm curious." Mii inquired._

 _Tohka chuckled a bit, looking at them._

 _"Uh... well, how do I put all of those questions into answers?" She wondered._

 _Hiroto chuckled a bit as he stood by Shido's desk, both of them watching her._

 _"She was all tense a while back, though now she's really fitting in. Although she does look a bit nervous right now." He mentioned._

 _"I honestly thought she'd act more like her code name or like a tsundere, but her current response is... so normal." Shido agreed._

 _Tohka got slightly red, snacking on some food in her bento for stress relief._

 _"Uh, Tohka? About all that bread. Ellen says you should be more diverse about what you're eating, like make sandwiches out of them at the very least." Shido mentioned._

 _"You can do that?" She replied, muffled by her full mouth._

 _Mio soon noticed Tohka was getting overwhelmed with too many questions at once, so she stood up and tapped the trio on their shoulders, making them look at her._

 _"Guys, I get you're a little excited, but maybe you should try asking me and Origami a few things to lighten the load on her? Nothing says you can't just tell each other our answers after you're done." She suggested._

 _"Yeah, I don't mind answering a few things." Origami agreed, currently catching up on her Class Rep work._

 _"Oh, sorry about that. Mind if I start with this question then?" Mai replied, choosing to question Mio._

 _Mii likewise broke off to talk with Origami, while Shido looked at Hiroto, who simply shrugged his arms in response... at least initially._

 _"Actually, think I'd like to know about how you and Mio got together." He decided._

 _"Fair enough, it's definitely not a boring tale at the very least." Shido replied._

* * *

 _Kotori's eyes were twitching as her classmates crowded her, causing her to break out into a nervous sweat over the questions heading her way._

 _"Let us see your flames!"_

 _"Tell us how you wield that large axe and cannon, they look heavy!"_

 _"Ooh, what about telling us what it felt like to fight underwater!"_

 _Finally, she released a loud scream._

 _"I'm not a supercomputer, all these questions are too much! Freaking slow down with them already!" Kotori exclaimed, feeling a headache coming on._

 _Realizing they had overdone it with questions, her classmates stopped and process them all._

 _"She flipped out, knew that was coming." Ashley remarked, shaking her head with a grin._

 _"Probably doesn't help she didn't fully register the reveal that we're both part of the DEM, so she's probably still mentally overwhelmed in general." Mikie mentioned._

 _The blonde wizard nodded her head, with a metaphorical arrow that had "AST Member" written on it._

 _Following that, the brunette wizard had another metaphorical arrow point towards her, only her had "DEM Private" as the words plastered on it._

 _"OK... let the teacher know I'm getting some fair for a moment, I'll be right back." Kotori asked._

 _Walking into the hall and placing her back on the wall, Kotori paused in place before her eyes went fully white and steam left her ears, followed by her slumping onto the floor._

 _"Now I know why mom says being famous doesn't always translate to everyone like it does for most celebrities. It was like I nearly drowned." Kotori said to herself._

 _At that same moment, a female Freshman with long blue hair looked her way as she passed by._

 _'Maybe I should wait before trying to ask her anything, she seems kind of frazzled right now." She thought, deciding it was a bad time._

* * *

Shinji tried not to laugh at that, with Kotori puffing her cheeks as she made a cute angry noise.

"Whoa... Kotori, don't explode here." Shido warned.

Right at that moment, a text alert appeared on the phone Mana had recently bought for Mio, containing two messages that came from Tohka and Origami respectively.

"Origami and Tohka are ready to meet us, let's not keep them waiting." Mio smiled.

"Right, we all promised to hang out today." Shido remembered.

All three of them quickly downed the rest of their food to the Takamiya parents' surprise, then quickly stood up.

"See you all later!" Kotori shouted.

With that, the door closed as all of them left, with Mana chuckling a bit.

"Kids these days." She stated.

"Yeah, they have so much energy with all the Reiryoku we have everywhere." Shinji agreed.

After a few moments...

"Oops, I completely forgot to tell Shido about something important!" He panicked.

Mana looked at him confused, right as she saw Shinji toss her a letter. It only took her seeing the sender's name for her to gasp.

"That's a big oops there." Mana mentioned.

"Yeah... that oops was definitely justified." Shinji chuckled, a sweat drop on his face.

* * *

Within DEM Industries, everyone was currently working as their director sat at his desk.

Looking at his current progress, Westcott eyed every detail of the image representing the Sephirot and every spot that fit a representation of the Spirits on it, with the four they knew of placed in their appropriate spots. Kotori, Origami, and Tohka all had their faces placed where their respective Sephira's were, though as this version didn't match the normal symbol people knew of prior to 30 years ago?

The odd spot was Mio, who sat above Origami's spot to represent _Ain Soph_ as she put it, which had a holographic effect to show Shido behind her.

"I can't believe that I had a hand in Mio creating this more complicated version of this tree." He sighed.

Slumping down his chair slightly, he noted the differences in question.

In the spot where Da'ath should be by itself, there were two circles with one above and one below what _should_ have been Da'ath.

He easily recognized these since he somewhat had an influence over their existence with how he, Ellen, and Elliot basically split it in half... or at least what he thought was such Mio recently pointed out. For the one in the place of Da'ath was something he forgot the name of, only recalling that it sounded like Ain, which he didn't have any knowledge of.

"I mean, this one I can somewhat understand, but the rest of it?" Westcott stated, looking at everything else.

Then to the left and right of the tree stood two pillars that had their circles touching the sides of Kotori's and the one representing Zadkiel, being the pillars known as Jachin and Boaz, which represented creation and destruction.

"At least putting Shido in this was easy!" Westcott groaned, face palming a little.

He wasn't wrong, as the holographic effect had made sense to replicate the effect of him being on the backside of Mio's circle, thought that made sense to what Shido represented due to his link to Mio after she revived him as the only Half-Spirit.

"Trouble in paradise?" Ellen asked, walking into view.

"More like trouble in neurology." He remarked, quickly seating himself back into place.

Ellen paused for a moment, remembering Friday's events.

* * *

 _Both the groups of Ratatoskr and a few of the more prominent DEM members were seen in a room of the latter's HQ as Mio stood by a board, showing a bunch of writing she did over the near-entirety of her after school time on Thursday._

 _"I'd like to thank everyone for gathering here and listening to what I've been looking over since we've had the free time I needed to do so." Mio smiled, looking at everyone._

 _"So, what's this about?" Kotori asked._

 _Mio cleared her throat, flipping the board to reveal the Sephirot Tree as it was normally seen to everyone._

 _"When I got told my actions saved the world 30 years ago, but drastically changed it in the process? The first thing that came to mind when I had the chance to think about it was this... how did it change into the form we know it as today? Why didn't I restore it to the form it had been from the very beginning?" She stated._

 _Everyone paused at that, as that was a good question._

 _"She isn't wrong. If Mio was saving the world, then she would have honestly made sure it was restored to the form she knew it as, and we know she was smart enough to know what it was before the destruction damaged it." Ellen mentioned._

 _"That's right Ellen, but after taking a moment to think about it... it suddenly became clear. My subconscious mind had an influence in one vital area." Mio revealed._

 _Upon that little tidbit being said, a moment of silence followed._

 _"Huh?" Everyone said in confusion._

 _"As I know the DEM members here are aware of, over 30 years ago, they tried to save themselves from the DeNA through the ultimate sacrifice of all their magic. An action that would make them Humans instead of the Mages, leaving them with no reason to be hunted anymore. They did this by cutting through an area of earth they believed to be a core representing the presence of Da'ath." She explained._

 _"Yep, we can verify that." Elliot mentioned._

 _Mio soon nodded her head, but then also wagged her finger to say otherwise._

 _"That's true in words, yet false in reality. What you three actually cut despite it basically counted as the same thing was an orb of energy linked to the planet. To be more specific, a **Spirit Core**." She corrected._

 _"Define how it's the same, just so we know we're understanding this right." Westcott requested._

 _"Not a problem, as that's actually a necessary part of this tale. One thing said about the power of Ain Soph is the process of becoming Ain and making life was a contraction of infinity and zero, nothingness and endlessness. To simplify that further? All worlds that can support life has a source of this energy that forms over time, starting from the first cell that begins to evolve." Mio explained._

 _"Oh no... I don't like where this is heading." Ellen realized._

 _Mio nodded her head, releasing a sigh before she continued._

 _"That's where the downside comes in... the ancestors who started the Golden Dawn that all Magicians began from learned how to access the flow of this energy the core released through the world, which was the predecessor to Reiryoku we all knew as mana. That meant when the core itself was cut in half... you sort of gave a fatal injury to mother nature." She revealed._

 _If there was ever a time the Hermetic Trio felt themselves go white in horror, it would be now._

 _"Eventually, the Day of the Black Earth would happen from the damage that was spread from this action. I prevented that from happening by going into Earth's core, where my Reiryoku shot through everything, turning the entire planet into a new Spirit Core in the process. That's what likely ignited the Seirei Generation almost immediately afterwards." Mio continued._

 _"OK, but... what about the other changes? That still doesn't explain them." Shido asked._

 _"You're right Shido, it doesn't. Though the answer to that is related to the subconscious thing I mentioned earlier. You see, the Sephirot's importance to this was correct, as the world itself was like the Sephirot in its structure that linked everything together into one form." Mio replied._

 _"And..." Elliot asked, feeling like he had the answer on the tip of his tongue._

 _"Well, before I saved the world, I had been looking at every detail about the Sephirot itself. Both the confirmed details, along with things that were linked and possibly connected to through all that info I often found on the internet. I never time to fully figure everything out, so because all of it was on my mind... I think that had an influence on how my powers healed the world." She explained._

 _Blinking a bit, everyone showed their confusion with silence, making Mio blush and give an awkward chuckle._

 _"Oh yeah, not everyone speaks complex. If I hadn't been reading up on all of that, then it's likely there would have only been 10 Sephira Crystals made that day, meaning the Sephirot of this world changed to look like... this!" She clarified._

 _She reached behind the board, then used her powers to throw some markings on it. This created a version of the Sephirot with two pillars on each side of it, two Da'ath circles appearing over the original, which changed into something else, while showing something behind the spot where the negative veils were._

 _"Just like how a recipe can change from adding one new ingredient, the world itself was changed because the Sephirot had these additions I subconsciously added through thinking the Spirit Core was related to Da'ath." Mio summarized._

 _Cue the collective jaw drop from her entire audience._

 _"Wow... that's the last thing I expected to hear." Tohka mentioned, not as shocked due to her origins._

 _"If you think that's incredible? I've also managed to figure out which Angels are tied to these positions, as well as what elemental affinity each likely has." Mio continued._

 _"Please continue." Westcott asked, now completely focused on what else she had to say._

 _Mio giggled at that, soon turning the board to the other side she had started her talk on._

* * *

Ellen shook her head shortly after, chuckling a bit.

"Mio's intelligence is so otherworldly that it can scares me sometimes. I mean, to think she figured all of that out in just one day?" She stated.

"I know, especially since it took her hours just to learn fluent speech." Westcott remarked.

With that out of the way, both of them looked at the list as they swapped to a different page of it, one showing the rest of the information that was currently a prediction.

The remaining Sephira Crystals and the Angels they were named after, with the elements Mio believed them to have.

"Let's see, so far we have... Ain, Ain Soph, and Ain Soph Aur; born of the reality that defines life on this world. Metatron, born from the light of the sun she... somehow moved into our atmosphere." Ellen recalled.

"Still question how she pulled that one off, much less doing the same with the moon. Thought to be fair? We haven't been able to visit space since the world was saved to confirm or deny anything." He mentioned.

"Moving on... Camael, born from the heat burning within the fiery magma of Earth's center. Then there's Sandalphon, born from the energy that's always changing forms based on where it is and what it does." Ellen continued.

Westcott made the text green to verify that, while red text showed what had yet to be proven as official.

Elliot chose to walk in at that very moment with crutches, no longer needing his wheelchair thanks to Mio, having managed to heal his legs due to her healing ability combined with a Healing Realizer.

"It's quite a vast list, isn't it?" He mentioned, looking at everything Mio had predicted.

"That it is." Ellen agreed.

Raziel, born of the knowledge that the mind could gain through evolution, with its defining color being gray.

Zafkiel, born of the shadows of the night and the moon, with its defining color being black.

Zadkiel, born of the waters that make the ocean and the ice it could be frozen into, with its defining color being blue.

Michael, born of the shifting properties that make up the realm of space, with its defining color being yellow.

Haniel, born of the shapes or materials all life could take and the growth that happened naturally as they lived, with its defining color being green.

Raphael, born of the skies and the strong winds that blew across them, with its defining color being orange.

Gabriel, born of the sounds both produced and heard by object or being alike, with its defining color being indigo.

Jophiel, born of the planet's metals and magnetic forces that could affect them, with its defining color being a gradient of black to white Mio called monochrome.

Uriel, born of the electricity that creates lightning, with its defining color being brown.

Shekhinah, born of the land and the plants that grew across its soul, with its defining color being pink.

And finally...

Ekenor, born of the weight and pressure that made up the Earth's gravitational pull, with its defining color being purple.

However, since Shido had it, yet Mio didn't mention any other Angel names?

"I still don't get this one." Westcott stated.

"Considering that we have no idea how or even why Shido has this when it should be in its own Sephira Crystal... does that mean there's one that's nothing more than an empty sphere right now?" Ellen wondered.

Silence followed for a bit as the trio thought, only to end as they saw a phone symbol appear, signaling a call.

"Think later, we better take this." Westcott stated.

Answering the call, two people appeared on the screen, catching the trio by surprise.

And making them sweat.

* * *

Waiting at the dog station at Tenguu Station, the sight of Mio, Shido, and Kotori could be seen. As they waited for their friends to arrive, Mio was going over some papers she had on hand.

"Are those for the positions of the Sephirot that you subconsciously created?" Kotori asked, noticing them.

"Yep, including the one tied to Shido." Mio confirmed, briefly glancing her way.

She held them out a bit, letting the two get a closer look.

"Here's yours." Mio smiled, looking at her boyfriend.

 _Abyss_ _:_  
 _A hidden area of the Sephirot parallel to Ain Soph, being the hidden paired with the 0 that both represent God, allowing them to represent one number visually yet have the opposing number's level of power. It is best described as a void between the phenomenal and world of manifestation, along with its noumenal source. As such, it's the only part of the Tree of Life without defining imagery, making it seemingly invisible._

Shido chuckled a bit, looking at Mio.

"That makes so much sense with how you didn't even intentionally make me into a Half-Spirit." He remarked.

Mio giggled in reply, flipping to the next page.

 _Da'ath Tachton_ _:  
The lower area of knowledge tied to Da'ath, also known as the knowledge closer to mortals due to it being the area that's easier for Humans to understand, if not the only one among the two forms of Da'ath they can even comprehend. Tachton is also said to be more closely linked with the Sephirah starting with Chesed and ending Malkuth, likely reflecting how they connect more to emotions and the body._

She then flipped again, showing its sibling representation.

 _Da'ath Elyon_ _:  
The higher area of knowledge tied to Da'ath, also known as the knowledge closer to the divine due to it being the area that's harder for Humans to understand, if not the only one among the two forms of Da'ath they can't comprehend. Elyon is also said to be more closely linked with the Sephirah starting with Kether and ending Binah, likely reflecting how they connect more to the mind and the brain._

Kotori whistled at that one.

"I wouldn't have been surprised if Shido and you represented these somehow, because it looks like they work just as well." She mentioned.

Mio and Shido sneezed after she said that, confusing her.

"What was that?" He asked.

"No idea, but it felt like it was related to what Kotori said... for whatever reason it could have." Mio replied.

Kotori scratched her head as Mio flipped to the next page.

 _Ayin and Yesh_ _:  
Unlike many other aspects of the Sephirot, this one is the remnant of a process that became and stayed as its own thing. Ayin means "nothing" like Ain, while Yesh means "something", so the two terms are meant to represent both "something from nothing" and "nothing from something", representing the view of the mortal and divine when God begins all of Creation. They exist as an imaginary number, since they are a conflict of infinity and zero, which normally can't co-exist._

Shido and Kotori both felt metaphorical question marks pop over their head in confusion.

"Yeah, that's the complex one." Mio apologized.

She then flipped to the last page, which showed two things as a pair due to being connected while also being separate.

 _J achin, the Pillar of Creation:  
One of two structures acting as the Tree of Life's support on its right side, linked to Chesed as a source of positive energy and the power of creation. While existing in other forms, the one linked to the Sephirot has a more divine nature, being a remnant of the essence of creation used to balance with its brethren and opposite pillar._

 _Boaz, the Pillar of Destruction_ _:  
One of the two structures as the Tree of Life's support on its left side, linked to Gevurah as a source of negative energy and the power of destruction. While existing in other forms, the one linked to the Sephirot has a more divine nature, being created to balance the essence of creation in Jachin through being an opposite force born from the existence of Ayin and Yesh._

With that, every paper was read, which is when Shido and Kotori looked at Mio again.

"So, these are all the aspects that changed our world 30 years ago... there's something special about knowing this, not to mention it's a slight relief." Shido stated.

"Makes sense, it's better to know than to be in the dark." Kotori mentioned.

Rubbing the back of her head, Mio giggled as she put the papers away, looking at both of them briefly.

"There is a third pillar for Equilibrium, but that one's not on here because it's barely seen, and..." She mentioned.

Shido chuckled at that.

"Let me guess, it's connected more to you via the Avatars for your Angels than anything else?" He assumed.

"Yep." Mio confirmed.

At that moment, having not noticed how much time had passed by from said talk and look at the New Sephirot, a familiar pair of voices called out to them.

"Sorry I'm late!" Origami exclaimed.

"Hey guys, I'm here." Tohka greeted.

All three of them saw Origami run over, while Tohka simply walked to them from the opposing direction.

"Glad you both made it." Shido smiled.

Everyone soon noticed Tohka had the meat sauce on her face, making Mio form a handkerchief to wipe it off. Tohka gave a slightly annoyed look as her older sister figure wiped her face clean.

"And you've been listening to Ellen's advice too, that's good." Mio smiled.

"You've been acting too much like a sister ever since I called you that once after the reward ceremony, please stop..." Tohka begged.

"Don't say that, we know you like it." Origami giggled.

Tohka blushed at that, turning her head as she blushed, not wanting to admit it out loud.

Mio looked at Shido for a moment, getting his attention.

"Shido, mind waiting in line when we get to the cafe? I'd like to have a girl talk with the girls." She requested.

"I can do that, though how long do you need?" He asked.

"When we're done, I'll text you. Just browse the options until then." Mio replied.

Nodding his head, he led the group as they headed towards the cafe in question. As this happened... his girlfriend looked to the sky.

"Aura, Sophie, have you managed to confirm things on both ends?" She whispered.

Both of them floated into view, making sure none of the group had noticed them.

"Verified it for Kotori, her room in her own house had clear evidence that she's got the hots for him." Sophie whispered.

"Same with Origami, I heard her parents mention they were a bit worried about it after she went out." Aura whispered.

With her beliefs confirmed, Mio nodded as they reached the cafe.

"OK, hope your talk goes well." Shido said, wishing them luck.

Heading inside of the building, the four sat down by a table, with the other three looking a bit curious about what Mio wanted to privately talk with them about.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush. While I won't be 100% on how Tohka feels until I see her reaction, everyone here loves Shido, am I right?" She smiled.

All three girls flinched at that, having a noticeable blush on their faces.

"I do not! I mean, he does have some charm, is really nice... yet he's too dense at times! Yeah, both of you only got together when you said it aloud!" Kotori denied, very badly no less.

"Then why do you keep those ribbons he bought you?" Mio inquired, having one eye closed for emphasis.

Kotori paled at that, sputtering as she lost all means of countering her claim in an instant.

Following that, Mio turned to Origami, who sweated a bit.

"N-No, you're thinking about it too much. I just really respect him for what he did for my parents, that's all... I swear." Origami replied, her voice sounding a little raspy.

"I've seen you staring at him a few times." Mio replied, the opposite eye closed this time.

Origami whimpered, lowering her head in defeat.

Realizing she was about to be questioned, Tohka swung her head side to side while waving both her arms out, both her hands wide open.

"I've known him for less than even you have! You have nothing to prove about how I feel!" Tohka countered.

"Are you sure? After all, Shido made all those promises to you and said all those kind words. Most of all... he's why you even found out who you are and managed to start acting as the person _you_ wanted to be."

"I... I think... that you're grasping at straws." She retorted, though to little success because she was blushing.

Mio giggled a bit before putting her hands on all three of theirs, making them flinch again... only to notice her smile and _only_ smile at them in response.

"I want you both to know, this doesn't bother me at all." She said, still smiling.

"Wait... what do you mean? Shouldn't you be the most bothered by something like this? You're his girlfriend!" Kotori exclaimed.

Origami nodded, only for both to verify their feelings through that.

"And why should it bother me? Harems are legal, aren't they? I'm pretty sure that Shido cares for you both as well and would gladly return those feelings if he had known of them before now. However, something I heard Mana mention once is what worries me, and it has to do with him more than any of us." Mio answered.

Tohka blinked in confusion, while Origami and Kotori listened.

"Shido is a kind man, and I know he's not foolish enough to have not noticed you have romantic affection for him... but even then, he's never shown to be aware of them. I think if he did acknowledge your feelings for him, he might not be able to handle it, perhaps he doesn't believe in himself or worries we'll be hurt. That's the last thing I want for any of us." She continued.

All three girls were surprised to hear this, that Mio was willing to share Shido with them.

While that did make them happy, to hear she shared the fear Kotori and Origami had about their own feelings really helped give them a common ground. It only helped make them worry that much more if they even _could_ be with him.

"That's why... I'd like you to let me try figuring out a solution that makes us all happy." Mio smiled, closing her eyes as she did.

"Eh?" The three blinked.

"Shido could very well be willing to have a harem and just has something holding him back, or maybe... there's something he expects from you before he can reciprocate those feelings. Give me the time to find that answer, and if you finally have this dream come true? I'll make sure to give you all a day to go on a date with him." Mio explained.

They all went silent, looking at each other.

"Wow, I didn't think you'd be so willing to help us... thank you." Kotori answered.

"And you indirectly saved us all, so... I guess we can entrust you with this." Origami decided.

"Ditto." Tohka replied.

Kotori soon paused for a moment, blushing as she realized something.

"Don't tell me you saw me when I accidentally walked in on you and Shido sharing your first kisses with each other!" She panicked.

Mio blinked at that, tilting her head in confusion.

Kotori immediately covered her mouth, sinking under the table as her face turned as red as her hair.

'Why'd I ask that? I'm such an idiot!' She screamed.

Having set their agreement, Mio texted Shido to let him know he could get the food and come outside now.

"Oh, I met this girl after I left my house who said she just moved here, and looks to be our age as well." Tohka mentioned.

"Really?" Kotori exclaimed.

"Yeah, and with how she was dressed, it seems like she's going to be a Rindouji Student." She confirmed.

"Did she tell her your name? I could ask Saya for verification as the Class 2-A Rep." Origami inquired.

Tohka nodded her head.

"She says her name's Rinne Sonogami." She revealed.

Nodding her head, Origami quickly dialed Saya's number.

"Hey, what's up?" She answered.

"I'm not sure if this is beyond my asking, but can you confirm if a girl named Rinne Sonogami is about to transfer to Rindouji? Tohka met her and she's a little curious about it." Origami asked, putting her on speaker phone.

She hummed a bit and looked through the school's student listing.

"Yeah, we have a Rinne Sonogami that will be transferring into Class 2-C tomorrow." Saya confirmed.

Origami smiled at that.

"Got it, thanks for the help." She smiled.

As she put her phone away, the girls saw Shido bringing their food to the table as he grabbed a seat and sat next to Mio.

"Here you go girls." He said, placing everyone their orders.

"Looks good." Tohka stated, bringing hers to her mouth.

They quickly began eating, which is when Origami suddenly remembered about something else.

"Oh, did you guys all see that advert for the concert at Ten-Oh Square from tomorrow to Saturday?" She asked.

"I have, do you want to go?" Mio inquired.

"Ratatoskr doesn't have any tasks just yet, so why not take a chance to relax until then? We did have a stressful few days last week." Origami suggested.

All five of them thought for a moment.

"Why not? I think it'd be a good experience, though the main question is getting the money for tickets of any kind." Shido decided.

Origami chuckled a bit, having the reminder even kids with their wealth would have trouble paying for one ticket, much less 5.

"Then it's a good thing you know me, Shido." A female voice replied.

"Hold on, that voice..." Shido gasped, his eyes widening as he turned.

Even Kotori showed his reaction as both turned to the side. Once they did, they saw a busty girl with long blue hair wearing sunglasses standing before them, wearing a black T-Shirt with a dark blue skirt that had black ruffles at the end.

Taking off the glasses, everyone saw what looked like Mana without the beauty mark and her hair down, showing it was waist length.

"Shiori!" Both exclaimed.

She giggled in response.

"How has my younger twin and my favorite childhood friend been doing?" Shiori greeted.

'Wait a minute... Shido has a twin!?' Tohka thought, having been absent at her most recent mention.

She then turned to the others.

"Ah, you're Origami, right? My brother saved your parents 5 years ago from what I've been told. That hair ribbon makes it clear you're Tohka Yatogami, and it fits your hair well. Finally, you're Mio Takamiya, the one who won my brother's heart and my parents' old friend from 30 years ago. You really are as beautiful as in the picture." Shiori smiled.

The first two blushed a bit, while Mio got up and shook her hand.

"Glad to meet you, though I am a little surprised. I didn't think Shido's twin sister looked like his identical twin." Mio smiled.

"You know those rare occasions where an identical twin mutates to the other gender? That was the case with me." Shiori giggled.

Both of them gave a playful laugh at that.

"So, you're all interested in the concert, right? Well..." She smirked, reaching into her pocket.

They gasped as she pulled out more than enough tickets, ones that even allowed backstage access.

"H-How do you..." Kotori stuttered, taking them.

"Let's just say that while I was living in Okinawa, I had a little hand in preparing this concert, and that's the best hint all of you are getting for now." Shiori answered, winking as a small hint.

Everyone watched as she walked by a hover cycle she one, one that didn't have a steering wheel... or even a spot for an ignition key.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I should go visit mom and dad before I let Rindouji High know I can start attending classes now. I'll see you all there tomorrow." Shiori answered, winking as a small hint.

She thrusted her hands into the machine, quickly answered how it could be driven as it turned on and began to hover, which is when she drove off.

"Did she just-" Origami asked.

"Her Seirei Ability is one that works with vehicles. That bike is her own creation that no one else can use, because she's made herself the ignition key." Shido explained.

"Wow, that sounds really useful." Mio remarked.

Shido chuckled a bit.

"Actually, it also works a bit on other technology as well, but vehicles are where it works best. She must have used that to help and got all those tickets in return." Kotori added, guessing on how she had said tickers.

"If she were to join our team, we'd have a good way to travel around. Too bad that seems like a stretch." Tohka mentioned.

Shido took one of the tickets, while Kotori gave the other three to the other girls, which is when they noticed their many extras. Kotori shrugged and spread the extras among them in case any of their friends or schoolmates didn't have any.

"Well, it looks like it'll be a fun concert." Shido stated.

"I'm definitely excited! Back before the Day of the Black Earth happened, Shinji and Mana were going to take me to one. For obvious reasons... it never happened." Mio agreed, giving an awkward chuckle.

She walked by Shido, holding his hand as she blushed a little.

"Though I guess that gave me to chance to go to this one as a... date with you?" She mentioned, rubbing her finger on his arm.

"Oh, well... I guess we could call it that." Shido realized, nodding his head.

Everyone else turned around in response, making him give a confused look as they struggled to avoid showing any jealousy towards Mio asking him on a date.

Until Mio could find anything about if they could share him based on Shido's end, they had to bear it for now.

* * *

Later that night, Shido was seen sleeping in his room with Mio sleeping by his side, wearing her rainbow gradient pajamas as she hugged him in her own sleep. After a bit into the night, Shido squinted a bit for some reason.

 **"Can you hear me?"** A familiar voice asked, her echoing into his ear.

"What... who's there?" Shido said in his sleep.

A sudden ripple formed, causing him to open his eyes and find his mind in the same place he had been in a few days ago.

"Hold on, this place is..." He realized.

Looking around, the same being that Shido had met in her long ago appeared before him.

 **"That's right Spiritual Successor, it is I."** She confirmed.

"Oh yeah, I never got your name... or learned who you are." He replied, looking at her form covered by mosaic.

The female being chuckled a bit, getting closer.

 **"Right, I should give you that answer, now that you've given Mio back all that she had lost reach of."** She answered.

The lack of a visible figure was soon washed away, making Shido see what looked to be an older looking Mio.

No, it was... the form of Reine Murasame in her Astral Dress!

"Y-You're Mio's mother, Reine Murasame!?" Shido exclaimed.

 **"No... as you've already learned, that woman's soul has already passed on. The form you see is simply one I assumed because of my nature. Who I really am is the Avatar of Ain, and you are the first to see my true appearance."** The Ain Avatar revealed.

Shido's eyes widened at that.

 **"And no need to name me, I've already given myself the name of Phantom out of convenience for how ghostly I am compared to Aura and Sophie."** Phantom continued.

"Let me guess, you didn't want something based on Ain?" Shido guessed.

The Echo of Reine did not reply, choosing not to answer that and verify his claims, her poker face being enough that she eventually made the Half-Spirit feel awkward.

"Uh... OK, so first question I should ask? Why do you keep calling me _Spiritual Successor_?" He inquired.

 **"Simple, because you are the successor to Reine, and the world as it is now all resulted from the actions she took that fateful day. Her choice to sacrifice herself gave the template for Mio's existence and powers, making her the Spiritual Source."** Phantom explained.

"Oh, so the Successor part of the title comes from it taking the place of the word Source, guess that makes sense." Shido realized.

Phantom nodded her head at that.

 **"Now, for why I actually called you here? I thought it might be imperative for you to know of two important things. The first... I believe I should show you how to release Ekenor back to its Sephira Crystal."** She continued.

"Wait, you know how to do that? Then do you know why I have it despite what Mio said?" He asked.

 **"Because when Reine sacrificed herself to guarantee the survival of her fellow mages, Ekenor was the one Angel she directly used, which I believe caused it to get stuck with her. If that didn't happen, it would have likely been within Mio like the others had been."** Phantom explained.

Phantom moved closer, putting her hand on Shido's unique Angel that currently housed Ekenor within it.

 **"Focus on using your power, then I shall do the rest."** She stated.

"Uh... OK." Shido replied.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, realizing which power of his was needed for this.

 **"Purify!"**

At that moment, the Avatar of Ain's eyes flashed as she forced something out of the crystal, causing a flash of purple light to move by at speeds so fast, neither of them could see what Ekenor's true form was.

 **"There you go Ekenor, now go and find your Sephira Crystal."** She smiled, waving to it.

"Whoa, that was a bit..." Shido groaned.

He felt his mind go back into his sleeping form, making everything go black as Phantom looked at him one last time.

 **"Before you go back, know this... another Spirit is in your town, and-"** She warned him.

Before she could finish, his mind went back to his sleeping form, which immediately snuggled closer to Mio as they hugged in their sleep. The light of Ekenor shooting across the sky as it went to find its home.

* * *

Far from the region of Tokyo Prefecture, the ruins of an old town could be seen. It was full of damaged buildings that had since gotten covered in vegetation. No sign of people living there remained, with evidence that said damage had been here since the events of 30 years ago.

Sitting within this old town sat a clear sphere, which was none other than the empty shell of the Ekenor Crystal.

Luckily, its empty and lifeless state came to an end as its Angel flew in from Tenguu City, causing Ekenor to finally strike it and release a huge flash of Reiryoku across the area. In the process, the light contracted into a smaller and different shape.

"Uh..."

After a bit, the light died down as a silhouette of a girl was seen, not moving a muscle until she slowly lifted her head up.

"Where... am I?" She questioned.

The light faded, and her shadowed form fully stood up, then walked off as her mind and instincts lead her somewhere. As she did, she passed a sign that said Osaka on it, revealing the identity of the ghost town.

* * *

On the next day of school, everyone began heading to Rindouji as normal.

As the main quartet walked across their usual route? They heard a loud whistle, making them turn as they saw Shiori wave to them, wearing the Rindouji uniform for the first time.

"Hey sis, ready for your first day?" Shido asked.

"Yep, I've let High School be pushed aside due to my new job, but I'm ready to start it now." She replied.

Right as they resumed walking, the older twin found herself stopped as the usual trio appeared before her.

"Aha, caught you red handed!" Ai exclaimed.

"We've seen you cross-dressing firsthand, Shido!" Mai stated.

"Now fess up!" Mii shouted.

Clearing his throat, Shido tapped their shoulders and made them turn to see him, making them look at the still panicked Shido.

"Wait, if he's over there... then who are you?" Ai asked.

"Uh... hello there, I'm Shido's older twin sister, my name's Shiori!" She answered, moving her hands in a panic from the fright.

All three of them widened their eyes in shock.

"Yeah, definitely need to mention my sister more often, don't I?" Shido chuckled.

"Considering Saya was the only one who knew without you having to do so? I'm assuming yes." Mio giggled.

They all began to laugh at that with her, right as Rinne walked into view. Tohka didn't need long to notice her.

"Hey Rinne, over here!" She waved.

"Oh, it's you. I had a feeling you may be a Rindouji student." Rinne smiled.

"Well, my house kind of implied that, didn't it?" Tohka chuckled awkwardly.

Remembering her extra ticket, she held it out.

"Oh?" Rinne blinked.

"I have a few extras to that upcoming concert, think of it as my way of welcoming you to Tenguu City." Tohka smiled.

"Then thank you." She smiled back, accepting it.

Mio hummed a bit, taking a look at her appearance.

* * *

Within the gym of Rindouji High, everyone was suddenly gathered for a surprise assembly, with Saya at the stands ready to make an announcement.

"Everyone, before we start? I apologize for this assembly... as it wasn't actually planned." She announced.

This confused all of the students, especially since their own Council President had a nervous expression on her face as she said that. Taking a deep breath, Saya managed to collect herself.

"OK, I'd like you to meet our school's newest student for Class 3-A, and the one who requested I introduce themselves through an assembly for... reasons that will only make sense after I introduce said student." Saya continued.

Clearing her throat, a drum roll began playing out of nowhere, surprising all the students as they heard it. Saya herself blushed a little, very embarrassed about doing all of this.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen? Let's see what's behind Curtain #1!" She announced, moving out of the spotlight.

The moment it did, everyone's eyes widened.

Why was that? Because the student in question was the girl with long hair of a Light Indigo color and a very massive bust size, someone that everyone in the school knew.

"Hello everyone, I'm Miku Izayoi and I'm excited to be here!" She greeted.

* * *

 **Yeah, I faked you out when I said that our guests from the end of last chapter weren't going to be mentioned here. While the harem's still in focus for a while like I promised, Miku and Shiori both had an important part in getting their focus out, something I couldn't talk about without spoiling things. Anyways, with their appearance, I can officially say this breather arc is none other than the Miku arc!**

 **Not only did we see Miku and Shiori appear, but Rinne has made her debut, along with an apparently familiar face in Kotori's school. Alice did say she's met Spirits in the previous chapter, and because of that, it made sense to show a few others after that reveal. Ekenor has also finally left Shido's possession, meaning the new focus character of the upcoming DAL game is now in the story, albeit as just a cameo for now.**

 **As you saw midway into the chapter? You now know about the aspects of the "New Sephirot" as I call it, where Mio's shown us how her attempt to save the Earth altered it and made these additions. She's also shared what they are, along with the colors, elements, and Angels linked with them. I promised a while back you'd learn the representations of Mayuri and the game Spirits, and this is it, so now let the Angels they have tell you who's linked to what.**

 **And best of all? We finally have some harem progress as Mio tells the other girls she doesn't mind letting Shido being shared among them, but with the problem being that Mio needs to figure out if Shido will be OK with having a harem. Miku's presence will be part of helping her find the answer. The scene is inspired from "In Another World with My Smart Phone", as I felt Mio was wise enough to consider everything in the same way Yumina did.**

 **Oh, and if anyone asks? Mio and Shido were together at the beginning for the same reasons as that one scene from back in Chapter 6. While I'm never going to show it on screen (this is the last time I'll ever reference it in this story), it helps show that this version of Shido is able to be much bolder in all of his relationship with the girls in his harem. Considering how Miku often is in canon, he'll probably need that courage.**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	10. Musical Monday

**Happy 2019 everyone! Like with last month, I made this chapter in advance because of what's happening this month (like Season 3 of the anime), but also due to something important I need to say. Some of you may have noticed DARL is no longer here, and since not everyone got to see the message I left explaining it... that's because the story is now exclusively on AO3, which will soon be joined by all my deleted DAL stories!**

 **Know that said deleted stories won't be finished, but you'll at least get the chance to read them. When I'll actually get them up may take some time due to the usual Christmas to New Year's phase that tends to leave a few people out of whack, among other things, but it shouldn't take too much longer... provided that I don't forget about it within the next few days due to said phase ^^;**

 **Anyways, this chapter is where Miku's official debut finally happens, only showing up through cameos in the last two chapters. With an arc that's focused on her concert, not to mention the kind of interactions that she'll have with the others, I'm gonna enjoy writing her full introduction into the story of Spiritual Successor! Especially due to one particular reveal about her that you'll see in this chapter's events.**

 **As another heads up? While Rinne has made her debut, she and Shido won't be getting any romantic focus just yet, as currently he only knows her as a new friend of Tohka's. It won't be until after this arc finishes that she'll join, and after that, any new Spirit that shows will have to naturally develop their feelings with Shido over time, since all the Spirits who already had or could easily form romantic feelings for him have already appeared.**

 **Likewise, as with the first two arcs, there won't be any more Spirits appearing for a while. Ignoring Yoshino and the owner of Ekenor who appeared in the last chapter, Miku and Rinne are the only new additions as of now, since that reflects how S2 began with the Yamai twins. After this, aside from when they debut as humans (like Yoshino did) finally appear, we'll have just one new Spirit appear at a time, except for Maria and Marina's Spirit debuts.**

 **Now, let's get this chapter started!**

* * *

 **[Chapter 10 - Musical Monday]**

If there was ever a day where every student at Rindouji High received the shock of their lives, the current Monday had just managed to achieve that for every one of them.

Why was that? Because everyone arrived at school, only to find themselves brought into a sudden assembly, with their Council President actually looking nervous for once and revealed said assembly wasn't even planned.

No one understood that at first, until the mention of a new student was mentioned... and said student was revealed.

She was a girl with long hair of a Light Indigo color and very massive breasts, possessing a kind and sweet face that showed eyes that were similar in color to her hair. Not only was she the same girl that was with Shiori at the airport, but she was someone that everyone in the school knew.

And her name was...

"Hello everyone, I'm Miku Izayoi, and I'm really excited to be attending school here!" She greeted.

Saya immediately covered her ears to block out the noise caused by the crowd of students exploding into cheers, with Tohka and Rinne feeling their ears ring from the loud volume due to neither of them knowing who Miku was.

"Ow, my ears! Why's everyone screaming!?" Tohka questioned.

"Because that's the Idol from the concert we're going to. Miku Izayoi's currently the most famous rising Idol in Japan, with her voice being described as audio ecstasy that brings smiles and joy to everyone that hears it." Shido explained.

Tohka's eyes widened at the reveal an Idol was now at their school, much less the one who they were going to see after school.

"Yes, as all of you just realized? Miku Izayoi is now going to be attending Rindouji High from this moment on. Just be aware that anyone who attempts to extort a ticket to her concert from either herself or her manager that's also a new student here will face severe consequences." Saya answered, a glint forming her eye to emphasize her warning.

Many students immediately shivered at that, while others who had tickets wondered which of the students among them was the one known as Miku's manager.

"Anyways, due to how this sudden assembly that came out of nowhere? Your classes won't start until everyone's back in homeroom... so, as of now, you're all dismissed!" She continued, raising her hand up.

With that, everyone began heading back to their homerooms.

Once most of the students were out of view, Miku jumped down near Shiori, catching the members of Shido's group off-guard as she nuzzled her cheek.

"I missed you so much the other day, come here and give me some kisses!" She exclaimed.

"W-Wait Miku, not in front of the others!" Shiori replied, sweating a bit.

That failed to do anything as in just seconds after she finished talking?

*"SMOOCH! SMOOCH! SMOOCH!"*

Shiori went red as Miku planted multiple big ones on her, causing the eyes of Shido's group to go white from the unexpected shock of seeing it.

"Can someone explain this? Please!?" Mio asked, feeling her eyes turn into spirals.

"It seems that either Miku either swings the other way, or she swings both ways?" Origami guessed, based on what she saw.

Shiori shakily two fingers up as her way of answering.

"A bisexual idol, that's definitely a first." Shido remarked, chuckling nervously in response.

Miku finally stopped her kissing, leaving Shiori to twitch where she stood.

"I think we have a good idea of who the student that's her manager is now, right Shiori?" Tohka realized, giving a cat-like smirk.

"Eh... did the tickets give it away?" She asked.

"No, it was the fact someone that Miku literally kisses up to would have easy access to those after seeing it." Kotori answered, tapping a finger on Miku's shoulder.

Miku's cheeks swelled noticeably before she turned to the side and laughed.

"Shiori was right when she said you were all fun to be around." She smiled.

Before Tohka could react to that, she let out a light gasp and blushed as the feeling of someone nuzzling her cheek, which is when everyone blinked at the sight of Miku being all snuggles and hugs with her.

"Not to mention you're quite beautiful too. If you don't mind, do you fancy having a little-" Miku questioned.

"Do that again and I'll slash you down!" Tohka screamed, still blushing as Sandalphon appeared in her hand.

Miku chuckled a bit, a sweat drop on her face as she held her hands up.

"I kid, I kid." She replied.

"She's lying..." Shiori warned.

Miku's cheeks gave a puffy pout at that, poking Shiori's nose.

"Meanie, why did you out me out like that?" She asked sadly.

"U-Uh..." Shiori stuttered, blushing at that.

Saya groaned as she watched this, giving herself a light face palm before she shook her head.

* * *

Westcott groaned as he leaned back in a massaging chair he bought for moments he was facing extreme stress, currently using it on max level due to the bit of it he faced yesterday.

"I can't believe that they chose now of all times to come home... those two are going to make me gray prematurely." He sighed.

Ellen briefly looked at the color of her one husband's hair, wisely choosing not to point out that his hair already technically was.

"At least they won't be blowing anything up like the DeNA." She reminded him.

"True, but that still doesn't make the antics they bring any less annoying... even if most of them are only because of-" He replied, sighing as he did.

"Sir Westcott!"

Both he and Ellen paused before turning around, showing a former male mage rushing in with a wooden crate.

"Oh boy... what is it?" Westcott asked.

"You won't believe what we managed to find! Look!" He answered, panting a bit.

He slowly opened the crate, making the duo's eyes widen as they saw its contents.

Two large and oddly-shaped gems they knew as Sephira Crystals, the first being as blue as the ocean, which made it the Zafkiel Crystal based on what Mio knew.

The other was half-white and half-black. This had to mean its signature color was monochrome, making it the Jophiel Crystal for the same reasons she theorized.

"You actually managed to find some before they bonded to someone... I don't believe it!" Ellen gasped.

"Just make sure not to keep any females from touching them with your bare hands, we don't know they'll react to those who don't fit the naming, color, and other themes that decided who they bond to." He warned.

Having tried to touch one, Ellen paused before quickly pulling her hand back.

"For how we found them? We thought that each Crystal may have landed near where its element was, or the closest thing related to it in the case of a few, and that a few of them may have stayed there since they crashed onto the surface. Lucky for us, our theory was right as we found these two inside a lake and lodged in a field of magnetic rocks." He explained.

Westcott picked them up, looking at each of them.

"Now that we've found them, how do we find the people meant to wield them? Not to mention... is it possible for anyone to receive the power inside of them without dying as a requirement?" Ellen wondered aloud.

"Oh boy..." Westcott breathed.

Suddenly, the Zadkiel Crystal began shaking, getting everyone's attention as it did... right before it suddenly flew out of the DEM Director's hands without warning!

"D-Did it just...?" The DEM member questioned.

"Looks like we don't have to worry about finding the person that one's meant to bond with, because it looks like it already knows who they are and where to find them." Ellen chuckled, shaking her head slightly.

Now, the only thing they had to figure out is how many girls in Tenguu City had blue hair and either a first or last name with the kanji for 4 in it.

* * *

Kotori stood by Mikie and Ashley, giving them some of her extra tickets.

"Wow, we can really have these?" Mikie gasped, looking at them.

"That's right. Also, don't tell anyone, but... Shido's sister is Miku's manager and gave us a bunch of these." Kotori whispered.

Ashley made a silent zipping her lips motion.

"Thank you, Ashley." Kotori sighed in relief.

Walking back to her seat, Mikie remembered something from a few days ago.

"Oh, Kotori? Someone in our class wants to talk with you." She mentioned.

"Really? Who is it?" Kotori asked.

Mikie immediately froze, looking at Ashley while holding her finger up.

"What was her name again?" She inquired.

"Don't think she told us." Ashley replied.

"Then... can you remind me what she looks like?" Mikie questioned.

"She's the girl with long blue hair and the white hat." Ashley recalled.

Kotori blinked a bit, then widened her eyes.

'Wait a second, isn't that the girl who passed me by in the halls a few days ago?' She recalled.

She hadn't been wearing a hat (or just had it off) at the time, but she did have long blue hair.

"Do you know where she is right now?" Kotori asked.

"Think she's out in the hall getting a drink of water. Closest fountain to our classroom and the one she's likely at is to the right of the door, so you can't miss it." Ashley answered.

"Got it." She replied.

Heading out of the room, she went that way until she finally saw the girl in question.

Her hair was indeed long and blue, her eyes even matching, and this time? Her hat was on, showing it was a fluffy white cap that had a blue flower charm with two light yellow slips with a zig zag design on them.

Seeing Kotori was near her, she briefly jumped in surprise, revealing her slight timidity.

'I did not expect that...' Kotori thought.

"Oh, uh... hi there, I'm guessing Mikie and Ashley told you about me?" She said softly.

"Yeah, and you are...?" Kotori asked.

"My name is... Yoshino Mizui, hi." Yoshino quietly greeted.

She pulled her hat to hide her eyes, blushing nervously after having said it.

"You're shy, aren't you?" Kotori asked.

"Yes..." She replied, still talking quietly.

"Uh, OK then... what did you want to talk to me about?" Kotori asked, feeling a bit awkward.

Yoshino uncovered her eyes.

"It's, um... I just wanted to know... if you would be my friend?" She asked, a nervous blush on her face.

Kotori blinked, giggling a bit to Yoshino's confusion.

"That was it? Of course we can be friends, it's not like I'd bite your hand off." She chuckled, holding her hand out.

Yoshino smiled a bit, accepting the offered hand and shaking it.

"Well, I'm heading back to class, so... see you there." Kotori replied, quickly heading back.

Seeing her walk of, Yoshino smiled a bit as without her notice, the sound of bouncing could be heard as the Zadkiel Crystal showed it somehow got inside Rindouji, eventually bouncing and landing in her unzipped backpack.

It slipped off her back slightly, causing her to notice she dropped it as everything _but_ the Sephira Crystal fell out.

"Oh man, how did this happen? I'm such a klutz!" She panicked, hurrying to put everything back in her backpack.

At the very bottom of her backpack, the Zadkiel Crystal glowed slightly.

* * *

Later on, once school had ended for the day, Shiori was seen at Ten-oh Square as she helped the staff of Miku's Agency set up the concert stage.

"We've got everything set up for when she starts things off with Monochrome and we're just about done with Mermaid Love Story as well. Progress for Summer Girl needs a bit more time, though it's still nearing completion." A staff member explained.

"I'll go help out with the machine work to speed it up then. Just keep everyone where they are, or we won't be able to finish on time." Shiori smiled.

"Roger that." The staff member replied.

Heading over to help them out, a sudden sound briefly stopped her as she turned to it.

"Let me sing you a song, and let's sing alone..."

Immediately knowing what it was, Shiori smiled before she walked to the one finished stage area, showing Miku still in her school uniform as she sang it.

"Hey Miku!" She called out.

"Ah!" Miku screamed.

Realizing it was just Shiori, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Didn't mean to frighten you there, just noticed you were singing your old song. Does that mean you've finally finished it?" She asked.

"No, same progress as always. I still can't find those right words for it..." Miku admitted sadly.

Shiori had first met Miku through this song, when she was trying out for a different agency to become the Idol Singer she was now... with less success. All she knew was someone told her this song made them happy, and that gave her the dream to become an Idol.

Unfortunately, she's never been able to finish the song, only having enough to use for the limited time an agency allowed would-be Idols try out for their approval.

"Don't give up, you'll figure out how to finish it one day." She encouraged her.

"I know, I just wish I knew how to end it. If only I could meet them once again... maybe I'd know how to end it." Miku replied.

'Whoever this person is, he or she did a lot for everyone through helping Miku find her singing voice that day.' Shiori thought.

At that moment, she remembered what she should be doing.

"Oh man! Miku, start getting into your first outfit! I've gotta help get the last stage ready for the concert Asap!" She panicked, getting into a running position.

"Go ahead, I'll take care of it!" Miku cheered.

Right as she was about to run off, Miku gasped before whistling, getting Shiori's attention.

"Here, I got you a welcome home present!" She smiled, holding it out.

Looking at it, the Shiori's eyes sparkled at the sight of a Kitty Plushy with eyes like those used in old cartoon characters, along with two whiskers on each cheek and small collar with a bell hanging from it.

"Adorable! Thank you so much!" Shiori exclaimed, hugging it close.

With that taken care of, she resumed rushing towards the area, leaving Miku alone. At that same moment, she grabbed her school uniform before spinning around to swap it with a pink Idol Dress that was in her hands.

"I love this ability." She giggled, unaware of its nature a Spirit exclusive power.

* * *

Mana was seen standing in front of her son, then took a step back as she smiled at him, giving a thumb's up.

"Yep, that's how you dress yourself handsome!" She praised.

Shido looked to see himself dressed in a pale dark-blue shirt with a black rim at the top and bottom and an opened white button up shirt with a pocket on the left side. For his choice of pants, they were simple jeans.

"I agree, that's stylish." Shinji approved.

"Uh... no offense dad, but the fact I look like you did as a teenager makes your comment seem biased." Shido admitted.

His father flinched at that, making Mana laugh.

"Mio, it's time to come out!" She soon called.

Looking at the one hallway, Shido heard his girlfriend giggle before she stepped into view, making him gasp at the sight.

It was a white one-piece dress with a ribbon of the same color wrapped around it as a belt, and a sandy-colored sun hat with the same ribbon on her dress. Her hair was currently in a braid held by a white ribbon, this one being different, rather than her usual hairstyle.

For her choice of shoes, they were heeled sandals with, once again, the same white ribbon (only in a thicker set form and shape) acting as the frontal strap in comparison to the two normal white straps on their back halves.

She also had a lavender purse that matched the color of her teddy bear, which was riding inside of it.

"Do you like it?" Mio asked, brushing some of her hair to the side.

His answer showed up in the form of a nosebleed that Mana quickly wiped away, making her and Mio smile, with the latter's accompanied by a blush.

"Any boy who gets a nosebleed upon seeing their girlfriend is always saying yes." Shinji remarked.

"Don't worry, I already realized that." Mio replied, happily covering her face besides her huge smile.

Opening the door, the sight of Kotori with wavy pig tails and a star marking on her left cheek was seen, her attire being a short-sleeve leather jacket with flames on said sleeves, and a hot pink shirt.

"Yeah! Is everyone here ready for the concert of the century!?" Kotori exclaimed.

"Let's maximize this music... or something like that!" Tohka shouted from behind.

Tohka's outfit was shown to be a gray shirt with elbow length sleeves with a big 10 on it, green khaki shirts with a blue jacket wrapped around them, and blue & white sneakers with magenta socks.

"Technically this is an Idol Concert and not a Rock Concert, but whatever floats your fancy." Mana remarked, looking away.

"Oh, so... that means I dressed normally?" Origami asked.

Everyone looked to see she put on a teal hoodie and a white shirt, jean shorts, and simple brown boots. Like she had just said? It was pretty normal, being nothing rocker-like or for a date.

"Might be normal, but it still looks good on you." Shinji praised.

"Thank you, Mr. Takamiya." Origami replied, smiling in relief.

Holding out his hand for Mio to take, who in turn accepted it, Shido walked outside to join the rest of the group.

'Whoa, he looks hot!' The other girls thought.

Shido looked at the three, who quickly straightened their faces back to normal before he could notice, deciding to get their trip to Ten-Oh Square started with four simple words.

"Everyone ready to go?" He asked.

"Y-Yeah, we're all ready." Origami answered for the others, coughing slightly.

And with that, they all headed to Ten-Oh Square for Day 1 of Miku's concert.

* * *

At Ten-Oh Square, the sight of the crowd was shown to rival that of their own version of Comiket, with some of the fans having to see a live broadcast through the screens on the buildings outside.

Walking through the crowd, a few of the Rindouji Students could be seen standing around, with Shido's group finally showing their tickets to a security guard as he verified them.

"These are legit, enjoy the show." He stated, waving at them.

Finally getting into the inside area where the stage could be seen, there were barely any seats left at this point!

"Wow, she must be this good to have a crowd of this size." Tohka remarked.

"My concern right now is where we're going to be sitting." Shido mentioned.

His phone soon went off, making everyone look as his sister's name was listed as the contact calling him. He quickly opened it up to answer.

"Let me guess, this call's related to us getting inside for the concert?" Shido guessed.

"Right you are. There's an area I know of your passes qualify for and I'm already there, so come up and join me." Shiori answered.

She hung up right there, making Shido open his GPS to track her phone's location.

"Alright, I'll lead the way." He stated.

Following Shido as they moved around, they eventually found a dining room with a small extension showing an upper viewing area to the stage. Having some tea as she at the table was none other than Shiori, wearing a teal and cream dress.

"Glad you found this place without any trouble." She smiled.

"You sure this isn't a manager perk you snuck us into?" Shido questioned, giving her a certain look.

"Of course not. That's only good for being on the sides of a stage during Miku's singing breaks, so sit down and get some food." Shiori replied, waving her hand.

They did just that, and time flew by until finally... the lights began to dim.

"Hey, does this mean the show's starting?" Tohka asked, blinking a bit.

"It is, so time to whip these babies out." Kotori answered, reaching into her bag for something.

She gave everyone a pair of glow sticks, and the group walked up to the watching area.

The moment they got there ended up being the very moment that Miku appeared on stage, emphasized by a spotlight.

*"CHEERING!"*

Miku took a moment to wave to the crowd, soon giving a big smile.

"Thanks for coming everyone! Now that we're all here, it's time to begin this concert with a song that's a favorite of mine and most of you out there... get ready for Monochrome!" She announced.

 **[** **Date A Live II: Monochrome** **]**

Everyone began to cheer as the music began to play, and Miku positioned herself to begin.

Making the first pose, the lights became completely gray.

 _"When skies are turned from Monochrome, to an excess of tones... the world is sure to begin!"_ Miku sang as she walked forward across the stage, her arms held out and then stretched out before her.

 _"And if I have you by my side, anytime day or night, then I am sure to... smile!"_ She then stretched one out to the side, rising it horizontally as the other rose up to meet it as the lights began to dim slightly.

She then rocked her legs to the music while flashily pointing at herself, the lights going back to full color, but now turning indigo in color.

 _"I can't stop loving you every day, whoa~"_ Miku began slowly stepping the right of the step as the color shifted to red.

 _"I can't stop loving you every day, whoa~"_ Then she began walking towards the left of the stage, with the color flashing between red and blue as she pretended to be pulling on a rope.

 _"I can't stop loving you every day, whoa~"_ Following that, she twirled like opening a door, with the color becoming green that shifted between light and dark shades.

 _"I can't stop loving you every day, whoa~"_ And then, Miku ended it all by turning to the stage's center and holding her arms up, the color becoming a bright yellow.

 _"I can't stop loving you!"_ She gave a bright smile, slightly bowing as she winked at the crowd.

At that last moment, where the lights all lit up various colors of the rainbows, Mio briefly paused as if she sensed something. The rest of her group just paying attention to the music as they swung their light sticks.

 _"As I hold your hand in mine, I begin squeezing it so tight... because I don't wanna let you go!"_ Miku sang as she clasped her hands together, bouncing slightly in place.

 _"My heart is open wide! You are my one desire, so I hope... you feel it too!"_ She twirled as the lights all turned pink, and she briefly sat like she was praying.

The lights began to flicker a bit between pink and dark purple.

 _"Anytime that I can have you near me! Every worry I have starts disappearing! You melt my cares away~"_ Miku sang, motioning her hands with the same speed and intensity as the music.

She traced her right hand's pointer finger up, left, and then down to the three beats marking the brief pause between the previous line and the next.

 _"I hope that we're all closer, just a little every day a little better! Much more than yesterday!"_ She looked at the crowd, eyeing everyone as if they were the person in the lyrics to her song.

The colors dimmed down before exploded, with a ripple effect going off by someone's Seirei Ability, making the crowd's cheers grow louder.

 _"When rainbows enter through the air, lining a road with flare! The trees will smile with such happiness there!"_ Miku sang, waving her hand across the air to make the lights form a rainbow across a sky background most of them were making in response to her hand motions.

 _"Like being wrapped up, in a love story... a journey that has only begun!"_ She began turning in circles to the rhythm, then crossed her arms before spreading them out to make a flower symbol in unison with the lights.

 _"Let's transform these skies of monochrome, into an excess of tones! My heart will race, and my pulse will beat on!"_ Closing her eyes and holding her face like she was squealing at something, Miku quickly jumped into the air before heading to the center of the stage.

The lights dimmed once again, and she turned so her back was facing the crowd.

 _"Having you near me, is so astounding... you make every day so colorful!"_ The lights exploded in a colorful rainbow with a big pink heart in the middle, right as she turned to make her final pose.

The song beat ended as Miku winked and blew a kiss, making actual hearts made of light fly towards everyone in the crowd.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

And with that, everyone exploded with cheers, some of the crowd even rushing out to grab the hearts of light flying into them to feel like Miku had blown them a kiss. From Shido's group, the sight of Tohka swinging her glow sticks like crazy was even noticed.

"Looks like she's enjoying it." Origami giggled, looking at her.

"Did I really just feel that?" Mio whispered, her gaze still locked on Miku's waving form.

Shido turned his head as he noticed this.

"Mio, is something wrong?" He asked.

Pausing for a moment due to the situation they were in, she questioned if she should wait to tell him or just say it now.

"I'm not certain due to where we are, but... I felt it. Some of my power when she was singing." Mio quietly admitted.

"Wait, are you saying-" Shido gasped at whisper level.

"Her apparent audio ecstasy might not be some kind of psychological thing... but because the music is naturally inducing it via strong Reiryoku imbued within the sound waves. The power of sound tied to the Gabriel Crystal." She confirmed.

And with that, Ratatoskr's leader stared at Miku, who may now actually be a _Spirit Idol_ that had been hiding in plain sight.

* * *

Elliot quickly received a call from Shido, leading him to the analyzing room as everyone began position their satellite cameras over Ten-Oh Square to begin analysis.

"First thing we need to do is see if she fits the main two parts of Mio's theory. Due to what color it is and its lighter tone, we need to confirm her hair matches the 9th Sephira's enough, then find the appropriate kanji in her name." He ordered.

"Well, there's one other thing we can probably say right off the bat about confirming if she's a Spirit or not." Kawagoe mentioned.

This made everyone look at him in confusion.

"It looks like every Spirit's gotta be a voluptuous bombshell with breasts between the 100 to 110 cm range!" He remarked.

Everyone groaned in response to his perverted comment, with Elliot face palming himself for having to have heard even it.

"Verifying her name and hair color now." Shiizaki replied, typing at incredible speed.

The screen brought up Miku's image and name, with two boxes with the set color and kanji inside them. After a few seconds... the results on screen showed a match for the hair and succeeded in finding the presence of a number in her name.

"We have a positive on both, so now we only need to detect the right wavelength." Minowa confirmed.

Holding his breath for a moment, the satellite's analysis began to look over Ten-Oh Square, and then...

 _"SEPHIRA CRYSTAL DETECTED: PERFECT MATCH!"_

"I don't believe it... we've finally found another Spirit!" Elliot announced.

Everyone cheered at that.

"So, what code name should we give her? I'd go with Idol... if weren't for the fact it would be too obvious." Kawagoe questioned, rubbing his chin.

Thinking for a moment, Nakatsugawa snapped his fingers as he felt an idea hit his noggin.

"I've got it! We'll call her Muse, after the 9 Greek Goddess known for the arts, but most often linked to music among them!" He suggested.

"Hmm... quite fitting. We'll go with that code name." Elliot agreed.

* * *

Listening to Elliot calling him back as Miku neared the end of singing Mermaid Love Story, both Shido and Mio nodded their heads before the former hung up.

"Well, guess that confirms it... Miku's a Spirit." He stated.

"Though it doesn't seem like she's knows. That might mean she died in a way that didn't make her think it happened like Origami or felt she was just unconscious or comatose for a bit like Kotori did." Mio wondered.

Pausing for a bit, their eyes looked at Shiori, who noticed them staring at her with an awkward look on her face.

"Uh... why are you looking at me that way?" She asked.

Both of them turned their eyes back to the concert, leaving Shiori a little confused. Her focus was quickly taken away as Miku came back on stage with the costume from the advertisement.

"Everyone, here's the last song for today! Time for you to hear one of my new hits!" Miku exclaimed, winking as she did.

The crowd went wild at that as the music began to start.

* * *

Once everything was over, Shido explained everything to Shiori, which made her drop a crepe she was eating (which Mio luckily caught) in shock.

"Miku's a Spirit!?" She finally shouted.

"DEM confirmed it themselves. I doubt she even knows about it, but her Seirei Ability was likely just an emotion influencing power that laced into her songs after she got the Gabriel Crystal's power." Mio replied.

Shiori blinked before slapping her cheeks a few times to make sure she was awake.

"That can't be, I thought it was just the ability to immediately switch between her clothes. Are you saying that's something else entirely?" Shiori questioned.

Mio gave an awkward laugh at that before quickly changing her outfit into another, making Shiori pale a little.

"As you just saw, that's a shared trick exclusive to Spirits through simple Reiryoku manipulation. I don't blame you for not connecting the dots when you never saw us use the ability during the live broadcast last week." She explained, changing back to her previous attire.

"OK, guess you've destroyed all of my doubts with that..." Shiori agreed.

The feeling of awkward silence followed for a bit, until Origami eventually dispelled it by faking a light cough.

"Well, now that we know, the big question here is... do you know how Miku could have died to bond with the crystal? Anything that may have done it that didn't look like it had?" Shido asked.

His twin thought for a moment, then felt her eyes widen.

"Actually... yeah, I do know what could have done it. Miku and I met when I rushed over to her because a car hit her." She revealed.

"S-She got run over!?" Kotori paled.

"No, the car just didn't stop in time and flung her across the street, making her land on her head. It took me a while to run over, so if she was briefly dead, then it was long enough for her pulse to return before I noticed it was gone." Shiori clarified.

Kotori quickly sighed in relief.

"How did she even get into that kind of situation in the first place? That's a better question." Mio asked.

"Well... truth be told? This explains why Miku's singing went from horrible to beautiful." She mentioned.

Everyone's eyes widened as they turned towards her.

"Right, guess I should tell the story." Shiori realized.

Taking a seat, her mind flashed back to the day Miku and her first met. The very day she began her Idol career.

* * *

 _Miku was seen singing in a tryout area for a certain agency, but..._

 _"Let me sing you a song!"_ _Her voice sang in a hoarse manner._

 _Well, it was very bad, despite all the effort she was putting in. After another 10 seconds passed, one of the judges hit a bell to make her stop._

 _"Uh... Ms. Izayoi, that was... interesting." He said, coughing as he did._

 _"Does that mean..." Miku asked, looking hopeful._

 _All of them paused for a bit, soon holding up signs with low scores, making her smile go into a frown as she teared up a little._

 _"I... understand..." She replied, grabbing her bag._

 _Looking inside of it, an indigo sphere that was the Gabriel Crystal was seen, the jewel she had hoped would be her good luck charm for today's tryout. Closing the bag as she looked away from it, she finally headed outside._

 _Only when she left the stadium did she finally start to cry, wiping her eyes as she walked towards street. Around the same time, Shiori was polishing her hover cycle as she saw her crying form._

 _"She looks so sad, I wonder what happened to her?" She thought aloud._

 _Unfortunately, right after thinking that, the light on the crosswalk Miku was nearing switched to the hand symbol, making her gasp as a car started to turn from the side._

 _"Look out!" She screamed, trying to warn her._

 _Miku moved her arm, right as the car's driver noticed her and tried to stop, but was already moving too fast to avoid it. The car hit Miku and sent her flying, causing her head to slam across the ground as everything in her bag flew out._

 _Shiori gasped before rushing over, completely missing the Gabriel Crystal that rolled to Miku's side and dissolved into her. The car driver soon got out as a few civilians watched in worry._

 _"I'm so sorry! Is she OK!?" The driver asked._

 _Holding up her arm, Shiori placed her finger in the spot that would let her check for a pulse, and then..._

 _*"BA-BUMP! BA-BUMP!"*_

 _"Don't worry everyone, we have a pulse here! She's still alive!" She shouted._

 _Everyone sighed in relief, right as the driver helped pick her up._

 _"Though it does seem like her head hit the ground, so we better take her to the hospital to be safe. I'll get her in the car while you grab her stuff." The driver stated._

 _"Right." Shiori nodded._

 _Gathering all her belongings that scattered around, the driver put Miku in the car before Shiori got on her bike and followed them._

* * *

 _Waking up in the Hospital, the sight of Miku wearing bandages on her head was seen as her vision came back, holding it as she felt the pain finally register throughout her noggin._

 _'Ow... my head. What happened?" She asked._

 _"Thank goodness, you woke up." Shiori smiled._

 _She soon noticed Shiori looking at her, with a relieved expression on her face._

 _"Uh... why am I sitting in a hospital bed?" Miku asked._

 _Shiori went a bit silent, and instead of saying what happened? She mimicked a car noise and the screech of it stopping before making having her other hand represent Miku._

 _"I-I got hit by a car!?" She exclaimed._

 _"Eh... pretty much, but the worst you got was a bit of swelling on your head. No concussion or anything permanent." Shiori reassured her._

 _Miku sighed at that, plopping back on the hospital bed._

 _"So, well... you missed the light notice because you were crying. Did something happen?" Shiori asked._

 _"Not anything serious or to worry about... outside of a personal level that is." Miku answered._

 _Looking at her, Miku sighed again._

 _"I was... auditioning to be an Idol, but they rejected my admission." She explained._

 _Shiori's eyes widened._

 _"Oh, I'm sorry about that. Was it that someone was better then you or..." She asked, hoping it wasn't crossing a line._

 _"My voice is awful, they were just too nice to outright say it!" Miku wailed, crying into the pillow._

 _Hearing that, Shiori chose to rub her head, not sure if any words would help her at the moment. More tears were shed before Miku continued._

 _"When I was just a child... I loved singing, but I never thought I'd make a career out of it. Though one day my parents brought me to a party where I met someone who told me... told me they heard the effort in my singing, and they said my voice was great because of that. It was then I wanted to try, but I'm still failing today." Miku sniffled._

 _Shiori scratched her cheek, deciding the best thing she could do to help?_

 _Listen to her song in the same manner as that someone had done for her._

 _"Mind if I hear you sing?" She asked._

 _"Are you sure? I mean... you'll likely hate my voice once I start." Miku inquired, feeling hesitant._

 _"I'd be more likely to hate leaving you to feel bad after you almost died." Shiori replied._

 _Deciding that she had nothing better to do, Miku sat up a bit, then took a deep breath before she began to sing. However, this time when her singing voice came out..._

 _"Singing in the shower..."_ _She sang._

 _At that moment, Shiori's eyes widened in disbelief at the wonderful melody that came out. Miku herself suddenly stopped as she touched her throat a bit._

 _"How was that a horrible voice!?" Shiori questioned._

 _"T-That was really my... but I don't get it. I know how horrible it sounds, so why is it suddenly... good?" Miku questioned._

 _Shiori blinked at that._

 _'Hold on, does that mean her voice didn't sound like this before?' She wondered._

* * *

 _After the following craziness in trying to figure out the improvement of her voice, Miku left the hospital with Shiori, who even offered her a drive home on her special bike._

 _"Don't worry, you'll be back at your apartment soon." Shiori reassured._

 _"OK..." Miku replied, still feeling overwhelmed by the day's events._

 _While they cruised along, the awkwardness eventually led Shiori to ask her new friend a question._

 _"Hey, if you're living in an apartment, does that mean your parents are..." Shiori asked nervously._

 _"No, they're alive. I just came to Okinawa by myself." She answered._

 _Shiroi sighed in relief._

 _"Glad to hear that. While it may be strange for me to ask, my parents lost someone close to them 30 years ago, a girl he may have made his second wife had harems been legal at the time." Shiori apologized._

 _Miku hugged Shiori close, making her blush as she briefly slowed down to manage the sudden distraction before she crashed._

 _Once she stopped, the sight of another Idol agency's buildings entered their sight, with a tryout happening at this very moment. Looking back at her new friend, she decided to park, making her look confuse._

 _"W-What are you doing?" Miku asked._

 _"Helping you live your dream, because I'm not letting you give up on it." Shiori smiled._

* * *

 _Miku shook a bit, looking noticeably scared._

 _Shiori had pulled her inside for the tryout, claiming she was her manager and getting her a chance to sing by using her medical report as an excuse to explain why she didn't sign up, and now it was scaring her because this agency was the best in Japan._

 _The fact it was leagues above the one she had tried to get a contract with had been why she didn't try for it._

 _'I... I don't think I can do this!' Miku thought._

 _"Miku, you can do it! Just sing from your heart!" Shiori exclaimed._

 _Looking at Shiori, who immediately got shushed for her actions, a wink aimed itself Miku's way. Seeing that, Miku took a deep breath._

 _"She's right, I... I have to at least try." She told herself._

 _Relaxing herself with a deep breath, Miku looked ahead before slowly opening her mouth. Her song's music began at that very moment._

 _Upon hearing her voice, everyone listening was shocked by what they heard. Shiori herself even felt the music was making her happier._

 _When Miku finally stopped, the judges were all clapping, making her surprised before they all held up a perfect score, making her eyes water as it meant the one thing she was hoping for since she began trying to become an Idol._

 _Her dream... had finally become a reality._

* * *

All of their girls felt their eyes water after the story finished.

"You jerk... that story stabbed me right in the feels!" Kotori cried, turning around as she did.

"That was beautiful." Mio sniffled.

Grabbing a tissue and blowing a mighty breath into it, Tohka managed to relax herself.

"Let me guess, you started dating after when she planted a big thank you kiss on you?" She guessed.

Shiori blushed at that, coughing in response.

"Never even realized I liked girls until that moment, but... it was definitely a pleasant surprise." She confessed.

"Care to detail said surprise further?" Kotori joked, giving a cat-like smirk.

Hearing that, Shiori blushed and backed into the wall, making everyone laugh at her for a brief moment.

"Still, it's probably a good idea for us to let Miku know about this. We don't want the DeNA to attack her while she's completely aware of what she is." Shido suggested.

"Guess it's a good thing Shiori gave us our current passes." Origami giggled.

"I'll lead the way." Shiori offered, her eye twill slightly twitching from the impact of Kotori's teasing.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the ever-so elusive hideout of the DeNA, the sight of their boss could be seen as they ate a steaming slice of filet mignon.

"Hmm... so, Miku Izayoi, the famous new Idol, is a Spirit? I thought it was interesting when Ruler managed to slip in, but this... yes, this will do quite well." The leader thought, humming a bit.

Snapping their fingers, a holographic screen formed from a small device on their desk, showing a man whose upper face was shadowed by a filter.

"Roger Murdock, will you refresh my memory on our completed projects?" He asked.

"Let's see. We have a few, including the unexpected success Project Hecatoncheires managed to achieve." Roger answered, checking his sheets.

Smirking at that last one, the leader made his decision.

"Then deploy it for an attack on Tenguu City, we'll get a good show from Ruler and Diva this way." They leader requested, deciding on the DeNA's code name for Miku at that very moment.

Nodding his head, the holographic screen disappeared.

* * *

Back in Ten-Oh Square, everyone was gathered as Miku was shown in her more casual wear, holding her tea in shock at the things she was just told by the group.

Said casual wear was revealed to be pink short-sleeved sweater, a necklace with aquamarine gems and matching earrings, dark blue shorts with a light indigo flower designs and two belts with gold ends she had tied into ribbons on each side, and a pair of brown boots with heels and fluffy white tops.

"O-OK... just so I'm hearing this right, you're saying I'm a Spirit like most of you and I became one because the car impact actually killed me?" She finally asked.

"Eh... yep." Mio confirmed.

Laughing for a bit, the Spirit Idol made a strange face as she struggled to register everything she just heard.

"I died... I'm a Spirit... I died... I'm a Spirit..." Miku repeated.

Everyone stared at her, with Tohka slurping some of her tea.

"Well, I think she took that pretty well. At least she isn't screaming about it like Kotori or Origami." Tohka remarked.

"Hey!" Both shouted, slightly glaring at her.

Miku's voice began to go into a gibberish state, with her eyes spinning around until Shiori grabbed a cup of pudding and stuffed a spoonful of it into her mouth. Miku paused for a moment before eating it.

"OK, calming down now. It's all fine... I promise." She breathed, finally calming down.

"You sure? I mean, it was kind of a shock to hear all of that." Shido asked in concern.

"After you have one of your outfits fall apart in dress rehearsal and everyone sees you in frilly underwear? It's hard for any kind of shock to really affect you." Miku reassured him.

That question made everyone look at Shiori.

"It was our first attempt for her Mermaid Love Story outfit, it fell apart when she accidentally stepped on the tail." She explained.

"Ah." Everyone realized.

Shortly after that, everyone began to laugh at that, though Miku soon paled at something else.

"Wait, doesn't this mean I'll have to fight with you? I don't know how to fight!" She panicked.

"I'll teach you, if you tell me about Okinawa." Mio offered.

The Spirit Idol yelled in surprise, having not seen her teleport next to where she was sitting without any warning.

"A-Alright, just don't make me scream my heart out." Miku requested.

"Cross my heart." She promised, holding out her pinkie in response.

Making their pinkie promise, the Spirit Idol tried to sneak a small kiss on her, but Mio once again teleported.

"Sorry, but I'm not as easy to catch as Tohka is." She giggled.

Tohka glared at Mio in response, crossing her arms with a huff. A silent giggle came out of Shiori's mouth as she turned to the side.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Raizen High, the sight of Rinne could be seen as she was taking care of the gardens, which got Saya's attention.

"Oh, didn't expect you to stay after class ended." She remarked.

"Is it really that strange?" Rinne questioned, looking a bit worried.

"Nothing like that, it's just that nearly everyone went to Miku's concert or is working to get a ticket for at least one of the five days said concert is happening. Me being here is only because of my job as Council President." Saya explained.

Rinne sighed a bit, making Saya briefly raising her eye at what she might say.

"From the looks of things, you really love the gardens, don't you?" She asked.

Rinne slightly scratched her cheek in response, blushing a bit.

"I've always had a connection to nature, it really soothes me. Most likely due to what my Seirei Ability is." Rinne answered.

"What kind of ability is that?" Saya asked.

Placing her hand on some of the plants, a pink glow emitted from her palms. It didn't take long before Saya noticed a few flowers and fruits bloom from them.

"Holy crap! If any ability speaks for itself, this would definitely qualify." She stated.

"Thank you." Rinne replied, blushing at the compliment.

At that same moment, she suddenly put a hand on her head, making Saya give her a look of concern.

"Hey, is something wrong?" She asked.

"I'm OK, it's just that... for some strange reason, it feels like I'm forgetting something important. The kind of thing that's so vital to me it makes my head hurt whenever it tries to remember on its own." Rinne reassured her, feeling the pain fade.

"What do you think you're trying to remember?" Saya asked.

Rinne paused for a moment, waiting for something to pop into her head. That image manifested as a girl around her age, looking somewhat similar to her, but with purple hair.

Was it a close friend of hers or someone in the family she didn't have? Rinne didn't know.

"Either myself, or someone I knew... probably?" She wondered, asking more than replying.

* * *

Deep within the labs tied to the hidden DeNA base, the sight of Roger walking around could be seen as he walked alongside one of the professors working under the group.

"Is full maintenance complete, Simpson?" Roger asked.

"100%, not a single problem to speak of." He answered.

They soon came to the machine in question, which looked like a huge sphere, rather than something like a giant with 100 arms like the creatures it was named after.

"We've even got a test drive set, so you can see rather than just take our word for it." Simpson continued.

Pressing a few buttons on his tablet, the sphere suddenly glowed as hundreds of eyes opened up, finally giving it something that matched its namesake.

"Oh?" Roger hummed, looking interested.

"I take it you're pleased?" Simpson questioned.

Taking the tablet from the professor, he accessed an app before using his fingerprint to unlock a hidden deployment code. It was all his answer needed to be as from wherever the base was heard, the Hecatoncheires rose up into the sky.

Openings all one-hundred of its eyes, wings and a tail formed before it gave a low-pitched shriek and flew off, ready to find its chosen targets.

"Let's see how these Spirits do against a power that could topple even the mightiest of the Greek Titans." Roger smirked.

* * *

Sometime later, as the sun began setting over the horizon, Mio was seen with a bright smile as the Takamiya Family sat at the dinner table.

"Well, you look pretty happy. Guessing it was a good first date?" Mana asked.

"Part that, part exciting talk, part a few other things." She answered, giggling as she replied.

Rubbing his head at that, Shido looked to the side.

"Miku promised to tell her about Okinawa in exchange for teaching her how to use her powers as a Spirit, now I think she wants to visit." Shiori explained.

Both of their eyes widened in surprise.

"Miku Izayoi's a Spirit!?" Shinji exclaimed.

"At this rate, we'll be hearing the current Prime Minister is a Spirit..." Mana sighed, recalling the current one was a woman.

"She didn't even know herself." Shido mentioned.

Looking at his girlfriend, who had already licked her plate clean and gotten seconds, he smiled a bit.

"Either way, sounds like you want to visit." He assumed.

"Yeah, and maybe after that? We can take a trip to Kyoto and even Osaka!" Mio exclaimed.

"Uh... yeah, we'll consider visiting both places... let's start with Kyoto though." Shinji replied.

Mio blinked as she noticed the odd reaction.

'Is this a money issue or insurance problem?' She wondered, having no idea how far away she was getting from the real problem.

Finishing a bit of his food, Shido looked at his parents.

"Anyways, we've managed to find our fifth Spirit through Miku being one. It was pretty refreshing to not end up fighting one after we found them." He stated.

"While the agency's got to work out deals with Ratatoskr to avoid scheduling conflicts, I'm sure that won't be too much of an issue since Miku's focusing on school for the time being. That means we can help Ratatoskr without worry." Shiori added, confirming her membership in the group.

"That's good. Oh, and Westcott called us about this earlier. They found two Sephira Crystals that haven't bonded to anyone as of yet." Mana replied.

All three of the high school students showed surprise at that.

"Seriously?" Mio asked, her eyes shining.

"Yeah, though one of them actually left the building. They've yet to track where it went... though the good news is that means whoever it's meant to bond with lives in Tenguu City." Shinji confirmed.

"I'm not sure how much longer it will be until you have to leave for the rest to be found. We can't expect them all to live here... or even in the safety of Japan's populated areas. Much less this country, or the continent of Asia." Mana mentioned.

Shido and Shiori went silent at that, making Mio look at them.

Luckily, it was obvious to her why they went quiet. Ever since the world had been reborn from her efforts? Most of it was still a mystery, even the DEM's efforts had yet to fully see the altered Japan, much less beyond it.

'Either of them saying they aren't afraid wouldn't be true, not when this new world is filled with so many unknowns to justify being afraid of it.' She thought.

Despite that, it was also the one unknown they had to explore... an unknown they couldn't let the DeNA use to their advantage in their war against everyone.

Taking Shido's hand, he looked at Mio to see her smiling.

"We're all in this together, so don't worry." She promised.

* * *

 **And that's it for the first act of Miku's concert. She's learned what she now is, we've learned how it happened along with the first meeting between her and Shiori, the DEM has found the Zadkiel and Jophiel Crystals (with the former finding its way to Yoshino) while the DeNA has unleashed their next machine... and to anyone who asks? Yes, the machine in question is none other than Kerubiel under a different name since Mayuri won't have it.**

 **Westcott seems as stressed as ever, just who are those two he's expecting to visit Tenguu City soon enough that he's somewhat frightened? I can only say they're friend and not foe. Not to mention he has to relocate the Zadkiel Crystal by finding Yoshino among a population of... well, I've never decided on an exact number, but I can definitely say Tenguu City's population is incredibly high for a large city in Japan.**

 **Ratatoskr's also getting set up to start journeying beyond Tenguu City... though it seems no one's told Mio the full-scope of the damage just yet. As you saw last chapter, Osaka is now completely uninhabited, with the Spirit bound to Ekenor being the only resident it has, which will only last for as long as she stays there. There's a lot that Mio has to learn about the new world she's created and what still remains, meaning she's got smiles and tears to expect.**

 **Anyways, it'll be a while before Yoshino actually becomes a Spirit, so Westcott's not going to have much luck finding her for quite a while to keep her out of the picture until I decided for her to be more active in the story. For now, the important thing is it'll be a while before the DeNA's newest automaton makes it to Tenguu City, giving us time to both develop the harem and have Miku's incoming presence leave her influence in it.**

 **Along with that, you've likely noticed that this chapter and the last have a naming theme after days in the week. I will confirm now will be chapters for nearly following day until Friday, and the new DeNA automaton doesn't arrive until Saturday, when Miku's concert comes to an end, and this is because of something I have planned yet can't even hint towards due to spoilers. At the very least, I can say it'll be big.**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	11. Troublesome Tuesday

**Hey there everyone!** **Since my last update, Date A Live III has finally aired... and we've finally learned the identity of the mystery Spirit from the upcoming game, which finally has a name! Welcome to family Ren from the Ren Dystopia Game, we're glad to have you with us! Let's all hope that her game will be a great one! Also, in honor of her appearance being revealed, she'll make a brief cameo in this chapter!**

 **Also, just so you know? Ren won't look exactly like she does in this story because she won't go through whatever caused that around her left eye. However, don't worry about this too much, not only will there not be many changes, but the ones I make will be fairly minor overall. I'd best sum up her in-story makeover as me simply making her look more heroic than her somewhat villainous appearance.**

 **This chapter will really have a lot going on. Aside from Miku beginning her influence on Shido's yet to be formed harem, there are a few other surprises I'll be adding in, especially an idea related to how returning Ekenor to its Sephira Crystal will influence Shido's powers. However, my favorite surprise will be something I've been waiting to bring into the story for a while now, so keep an eye out.**

 **Now, let the chapter begin!**

 **P.S: Ren's favorite foods are Tacos and Burritos, since her game mentions she's linked to nightmares, and I've seen many mentions of both inducing them.**

* * *

 **[Chapter 11 - Troublesome Tuesday]**

Within part of DEM Industries, a bunch of mechanics and Mildred could be seen building something big, using special suits that guided mechanical arms to build with their strength and the finesse that only human hands could achieve.

"Alright, keep it going! We want this prototype finished before anything big comes up!" She shouted, rolling her arms for emphasis.

"Glad to see you're keeping the ball rolling."

Turning her head, she saw Elliot into room as he smiled, now only needing a single crutch to help him walk.

"If I recall right, this ship is based on a design you made, isn't it?" Mildred asked.

"Mio decided to name their group Ratatoskr, so it only made sense to have a ship named and based on the Squirrel's main role, and since we already had Realizers based on the more obvious choice of name..." He answered.

She chuckled in response to that.

"Well, considering the kind of tree Yggdrasil is believed to be is part of the Fraxinus genus? This name still works if you consider the Spirits themselves as the actual tree being housed within it." Mildred mentioned.

Elliot nodded his head, which is when he noticed the ship didn't match the intended design in his blueprint schematics.

"This doesn't match what I sent you, did you run into some kind of problem?" He asked.

"Afraid so. We found out the ship would only work as intended if we used Ashcroft Beta devices to power it, but we're still nowhere close to finishing them. That's forced us to compensate by stripping down the armor to a more skeletal shape and power it with Ashcroft Alpha devices." She confirmed.

He sighed before nodding his head.

"I guess for now, this is the best we can afford. We'll just save my schematics for when we complete the Ashcroft Beta's development and then use them to remake the ship in its intended design." Elliot decided.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure this can hold out for them in the meantime." Mildred promised.

With that, both of them watched the Fraxinus' development continue, nearing its completion.

* * *

The next day of Miku's concert had arrived, with everyone cheering as she sang the last of her songs scheduled for Tuesday's events, currently wearing the kind of outfit you'd see from a Wizard Class in RPGs.

 **[** **Date A Live: Opening - Final Verse** **]**

 _"Here in this crazy world, my song echoes across the sky! Then vibrates through my soul that quakes like a Spacequake!"_ Miku sang, twirling in place before expanding her hands out as fireworks burst behind her.

 _"But I'll stay strong by holding onto the love that you've... given to me!"_ She then crossed her arms over her stomach, raising them up to her chest before moving her hands into a heart shape.

 _"And hopefully one day we'll stand at the horizon together, with nothing standing between me and you~"_ She jumped up into the air before dancing around the stage with such speed that everyone had to keep moving their heads to see where she was, eventually slowly down as she turned her back to the audience.

Right at that moment, the song got louder and the stage brightened as she turned to face them again.

 _"I'll call out for you to... save my life!"_ Miku sang, raising her hand to the sides and finishing by raising it up.

She hummed a few times for the last few beats, dancing around before making one of her signature poses to mark the end of the song. Topping that off was one last sparkle of pink-colored flares.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

At that moment, an explosion of applause followed.

From the area they were watching, Shido and his group were seen clapping and/or waving their glow sticks through the air, either screaming with excitement or just cheering at a normal volume.

"I didn't get what the lyrics in that one had been about, though I liked it." Mio smiled.

"Based on what Miku told me, the song is basically meant to reflect a date in a fantasy setting... which is ironically one of three songs of hers that fits how you and Shido both met and became a couple." Shiori answered.

Both of them blushed at that, causing her to laugh a little.

"So, is today the day you'll be helping Miku with her Spirit training?" She questioned.

"Yep, and after that's done? I said she could hang out with Shido." Mio confirmed.

Hearing that, Shiori chuckled a little.

"I'm getting the feeling that Miku's interested in trying to put Shido in her love radar since he's my younger twin." She assumed.

"Oh, so she's interested in having a harem?" Mio asked.

Shido gave an awkward chuckle in response to that reply.

"To sum it all up, I'm basically going to be an teenage idol's bodyguard for half of the day." He stated.

"Pretty much." His twin sister confirmed.

At that moment, Miku left the stage and then changed into a more discreet outfit that only left her chest and hair to give away who she was, though she quickly fixed the later by pulling it up and attaching a brown wig to the hat.

"Doubt anyone will recognize me now." She giggled, making her voice higher pitched for good measure.

Whistling in response, Miku turned to see Shiori motion to her as Shido's group followed from behind.

"We ready to go?" She asked.

"Got one of the guards to dress like a normal person and claim you went to go sightseeing at Tenguu Tower, so you and my brother have your chance to spend time together." Shiori whispered.

"Right, thanks sweetie." Miku replied.

Shiori quickly blushed as Miku gave her a big kiss on the lips, making her go red and making steam leave her ears. When it ended, she gave a disoriented laugh in response.

"Come on guys, let's go." She stated, giving a goofy smile.

They quickly exited the building before anyone could be the wiser, heading to where Mio would help her train her powers.

* * *

Morning soon reached the area of Osaka Prefecture, where the newly born Spirit could be seen sleeping before the sunlight made her awaken.

"Hmm?" She blinked.

Getting on her feet, she stretched a little before her instincts took over.

She began moving her tired form towards her beach without resistance, feeling herself being pulled near the water until she could finally see herself in its clear reflection.

Her appearance was revealed to be that of a beautiful girl with a buxom figure. Her eyes were a pale reddish-pink color, with long purple hair that went past her shoulders, gaining a sudden waviness at the near-end and tips alone, along with a braid to the left of her left eye, tied by a ribbon with a black to peach gradient.

For the rest of her attire? All she currently had was a tattered brown cloak, and not one made of light.

"It's... me." She realized.

Looking at her hands more, one of them moved to feel the other one, making her register the sensation of her form for the first time.

"Just who am I... wait, I think I'm... Ren?" She stated, blinking a bit.

Right as that happened and before her thoughts could fully finalize themselves? A huge shadow flew overhead, briefly distracting her as she moved to look in its direction.

Unfortunately, whatever it had been was long gone by the time her eyes had tried to spot it in the sky.

* * *

They arrived at the roof of Rindouji, with Miku (who took her disguise off) and Mio beginning by having the former tell Mio about Okinawa, coupled with some Okinawan sweets she had in her bag.

"It's incredibly sunny and warm, with a bunch of beaches to play around in." Miku explained.

"Wow, I am so finding time to go there. Better schedule a time to go bikini shopping with Shido." Mio smiled, with starts in her eyes as she imagined everything.

Shido immediately felt himself having a nosebleed as he imagined Mio in a swimsuit.

'Note to self, buy a good swimsuit for when that day comes!' Kotori, Origami, and Tohka thought in unison.

Miku went to grab one of her snacks, only to feel nothing. She blinked and looked to see they had all vanished.

Looking forward, she noticed Mio's cheeks full and chewing, making Miku's eyes shake in surprise at how she managed to eat _all_ of her food, much less so quickly.

"You ate everything!?" She exclaimed.

"I completely forgot to tell her about that..." Shiori recalled, a nervous bead of sweat dripping down her face.

Mio blushed a bit, releasing a slight burp.

"Excuse me, and sorry about that. I couldn't help myself." She apologized, clapping her hands together as she winked her right eye.

Miku gave an awkward laugh in reply.

"How about we just get to you teaching me how to use my powers?" Miku suggested.

"Alright." Mio agreed.

Standing on her feet, she took a deep breath before spreading her arms out.

 **"Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh!"**

Mio's Astral Dress materialized around her, getting Miku's awe as she saw it. Opening her eyes, Mio smiled at her.

"This is the first of the two most vital steps to accessing your powers. We call this an Astral Dress, the armament that acts as your armor, with each possessing a name linked to the respective Sephira our powers represent." She explained.

"OK, so... what's mine?" Miku asked.

"It's called _Shaddai El Chai_ , so just call its name and it will manifest itself." Mio answered.

Hearing that, she nodded her head and closed her eyes.

 **"S-Shaddai El Chai."**

Miku gasped as she felt her body glowing, showing her Reiryoku spreading around her as it replaced her current outfit. Everyone watched with interest as they saw the form it was about to take.

It wasn't long before they saw an Astral Dress styled as an idol outfit that was mainly yellow, with blue and white ruffles covering some parts of it. Her hair clip morphed to be inside a yellow crescent moon, with a few flowers and a small streamer cloth attached to it. She also had a choker on her neck with a white lily attached to it, white gloves reaching near her elbows, white stockings, and yellow high heels with flowers attacked to them.

Marking the end of her Astral Dress' formation was a yellow ribbon on her back, with its ends stretching out into long streamers, and a gold loop being added to her earrings.

"Whoa..." Shiori breathed, feeling her eyes briefly shine.

"This is my Astral Dress?" Miku asked, surprised by the form it had taken.

Mio hummed a bit as she saw it.

"I didn't consider it before now, but maybe each Astral Dress shapes itself after something related to the person a Sephira Crystal bonds with? Mine likely took this shape because people defined me as a Goddess." She mentioned.

"Makes sense, I've always been fond of Dragons." Kotori agreed, noticing the appearance hers took.

Origami blushed at that, noticing how much hers resembled a wedding dress, fitting an old dream of hers.

"I guess mine took after me being a girl, yet how I chose my last name after Sandalphon being a sword. That would likely explain why it resembles an armored gown." Tohka mentioned, tapping her chin.

Shido crossed his arms, thinking about that.

'The Astral Dress is heavily defined by the user's own image of something, while the Angel takes the form of a fitting weapon. It would make sense they're making themselves the ideal form their users can wield.' He thought, nodding a bit.

Miku was a bit surprised, but she quickly understood Mio's reasoning. She had wanted to be an Idol for a long time. Because of that, her Astral Dress shaped itself as a new Idol outfit for her.

"The question now is what kind of weapon will Gabriel be?" Shiori wondered aloud.

"We'll find out soon, because that's the next step. To call out the Angel's name." Mio answered.

Realizing what she had to do next, Miku took a deep breath.

 **"Gabriel!"**

Materializing in front of her was a translucent floating keyboard, which kind of underwhelmed everyone. Mio chuckled a bit as if she expected this.

"Not exactly easy for any weapon to use sound. To be fair, I expected something like a Megaphone or... actually, that was it." She admitted.

"I'm fine with this, I know how to play the piano." Miku smiled.

With that being said, Mio whistled as Sophie materialized into view, catching Miku by surprise as she waved at her.

"Ready when you are." She smiled.

"And I'm ready Sophie." Mio replied.

Swinging her arms together, she closed her eyes before they opened with a bright flash.

 **"Ain Soph!"**

The checkerboard field materialized around the rooftop area, making Miku look at the Angel's effect with surprise. A few white and black cubes began to float around shortly after the field formed.

"To help get you started? Practice your abilities against these cubes, that way we can get an idea of what you can do." She explained.

"What do you think I can do?" Miku questioned.

"Gabriel's affinity is over sound, so think along those lines." Mio replied.

Hearing that, she decided to take a deep breath.

Immediately following that, everyone felt a slight breeze as she screamed, releasing a sonic wave through her voice. The cubes she aimed them at immediately shattered as a result.

"Well, at least we weren't near any glass. " Shiori chuckled.

"Uh... what else can I do?" Miku asked, looking lost.

Mio herself wasn't sure, taking a moment to think as she tried to come up with an answer, until eventually...

"I think it's possible that most of your powers aren't meant for fighting, but for support." She theorized.

"What do you mean?" Miku asked.

"Not sure how to explain this... oh, wait! I have a theory that could help. To properly show it though? Try using your voice and telling someone here to do something, but let your Reiryoku flow through it." Mio replied, hoping her guess was right.

Miku was still confused, but looked at Shiori in response.

" _Can you tickle yourself?_ " She said, a brief pulse of invisible Reiryoku laced within her voice.

Upon hearing it, Shiori felt her body twitch as she suddenly got the urge to tickle herself.

"H-Hey... why do I actually feel like tickling myself?" She asked.

Everyone, even Miku herself, was surprised upon hearing that her voice managed to give Shiori's senses such a suggestion.

"Just as I thought, your real Seirei Ability lets your voice influence those who hear it, yet not force them to act." Mio stated.

"Of course, the reason Miku's voice can be called audio ecstasy..." Kotori realized.

"Her songs are creating an influence of happiness that people easily accept from enjoying her songs. That proves what I was thinking." She confirmed, nodding her head.

"Which is...?" Miku asked.

Mio giggled at that, looking at the Spirit Idol with a big smile.

"Songs and music can have strong psychological effects, like making plants grow faster or removing stress. If you apply that at a more magical level... perhaps it could influence one's strength or how much pain they feel?" Mio explained, guessing a few of her abilities.

Miku's eyes widened at that before she released a slight gasp.

"A Spirit whose strength lies in empowering her fellow Spirits, that's definitely a good ally. It also means Miku's training is simply her figure out what kind of influences her sound can induce." Shido mentioned.

Mio nodded, soon dispelling Ain Soph before dispelling her Astral Dress.

Realizing this was the end of her training, Miku did the same as Gabriel disappeared, which caused her to see her original outfit return.

"Now, since we've finished all of that... I think you'd like to spend that time with Shido we promised?" Mio recalled, smiled as she did.

Miku's eyes sparkled as Shido gave an awkward chuckle.

* * *

Standing at the entrance of Rindouji, everyone saw the re-disguised Miku hugging onto Shido's arm, with Shido blushing a bit as he felt it happen.

"Well, guess we're heading out." He stated.

"Hope you'll show me a good time." She winked.

She gave Shido a kiss on his cheek, causing him blush slightly, which was followed by an embarrassed chuckle as Miku began pulling him somewhere. Mio giggled at her boyfriend's face as she saw them walk off.

"Honestly surprised you're not too upset about this." Shiori admitted, looking at her.

"Well..." She replied.

Mio began whispering everything to Shiori, making her eyes widen as she heard it.

"Really!?" Shiori exclaimed.

"Really, like I just said. Most of all? I don't mind if he finds love in many because I know I'll always be the one he's closest to, both romantically... _and_ literally." Mio confirmed.

"Oh... that's right, you both have that connection via revival thing." Shiori recalled, remembering what her parents told her.

Tohka, Origami, and Kotori all blinked as they looked at Mio.

"Is there another reason you allowed this besides that, because this seems a bit... I don't know, out of place?" Kotori questioned.

"Call it a gamble that will make sense later." Mio explained.

All of them raised an eye, looking at each other with a confused look on their faces.

* * *

Miku and Shido made their first stop at a local food stand.

"Two cups of chocolate pudding and some strawberry tea, please." She asked, handing the owner some money.

"Here you go." The owner replied.

Taking the money, he placed two cups under a brewer as he handed them the pudding.

"Thank you." Miku smiled.

Sitting themselves at the table, Miku before she savored the first bite of her favorite food.

Shido tried his moments after.

"How does it taste?" She asked.

"A little sweeter than what I'm used to, but it's still pretty good." He admitted.

Miku giggled and smiled in response, drinking her tea.

"I do have to ask, why did you want to hang out with me? Shiori gave me an idea, but... well, I figured it was better to ask you." He inquired.

"Don't think too much about it. Shiori's been just so kind to me, it felt right to show the same generosity to her family." Miku reassured him.

Shido sighed in relief.

"But if she was mentioning anything about a romantic relationship? I'll admit it, dating you isn't something I would be against if you managed to get me interested." She giggled.

"Uh... thanks, I guess?" Shido answered.

Miku giggled in response, putting her hand on his before using the other to lower her sunglasses slightly.

"Shido, I do believe you're aware that it's perfectly legal to be in love with multiple people." She reminded him.

"W-Well yeah, but... I'm not sure how Mio would feel about that." He replied.

"And that's a good quality to have. Mio's quite lucky to have you, as would any of the other girls." Miku smiled, clapping to applaud his line of thinking.

"I'm glad you're so understanding about it." Shido smiled back.

Miku closed her eyes in response, thinking to a fond memory.

"Of course I would. After all, that's the very message all of my songs are meant to convey." She explained.

"Just like Shiori mentioned when telling us your story." Shido smiled.

"That's right. I just wish I could find the person who set me on this path long ago, because I want to thank them so much for what they said that day." Miku smiled.

Shido nodded at her small dream, having a good feeling she'd find them one day.

Finishing their food and tea, Miku stood up before looking towards Tenguu Tower.

"We've been out here long enough that my fans know I never actually went sightseeing there, so how about we go see it now?" She suggested.

"If you really want to." Shido replied.

"Alright then, let's go check it out." Miku smiled, extending her hand to him.

* * *

Reaching to a private area at the very top of Tenguu Tower, using a pass Shido got from Westcott to bypass any issues Ratatoskr might face outside of Tenguu City, he and Miku got to see the most wonderful sight.

Everything.

Everything that made Tenguu City what it was, everything that made it beautiful.

"Shiori always told me her home was beautiful... it makes me glad that I decided to move here." Miku stated, closing her eyes as the wind blew past her.

"I haven't traveled like you have, but I agree." Shido replied.

As she let the wind blow past the Spirit Idol, her mind drifted to a familiar song of hers.

"Singing in the showers... I imagine that I'm singing on a stage! I hear my resounding song resounding beyond the stars from this room! It's my love! It's my love! So, I'll sing on!" Miku sang.

Shido listened closely, feeling a sense of familiarity upon hearing it, as if he heard it once before.

"You know, that song seems familiar." He mentioned.

"That's impossible. I've never finished this song, and the only ones who've heard it are Shiori, the agency judges I sang for, and the one... who..." Miku answered, shaking her head.

At that moment, she suddenly paused as she felt her face freeze.

Shido looked confused until she slowly turned around, almost as if there was something terrifying behind him.

"This question might sound strange and out of nowhere, but... have you ever been to Kyoto before?" She asked.

"Yeah, my parents took me there when I was around 4-years old?" He confirmed.

Hearing his words, Miku suddenly covered her mouth as her eyes began tearing up, leaving him confused at why she was suddenly acting this way.

 **[** **Date A Live: Opening Theme - Piano** **]**

"It was you... all this time, you're the one who made me want to sing." She breathed.

"Wait, what?" He replied.

"That's the only way you could have recognized that song, because you were the first one to ever hear it. Years had gone by, and I had forgotten your face, nor did I ever learn of your name... yet I always knew I'd find you as long as I kept singing it." Miku sniffled, crying happy tears.

Blinking a bit, Shido's eyes widened as he finally remembered.

* * *

 _A 5-year old Miku could be seen at a party while wearing a yellow dress, looking nervous as she moved over to a spot where no one else was for some privacy._

 _"Singing in the shower... I imagine that I'm singing on a stage! I hear my resounding song resounding beyond the stars from this room! It's my love! It's my love! So, I'll sing on!"_ _She sang, her formerly bad singing matching her younger voice._

 _"Hey, that's a nice song." Shido stated._

 _Gasping as she turned around, she saw the younger Shido in a tuxedo and with his hair slicked back by gel._

 _"U-Uh... don't lie to me, I know my voice is bad..." She shyly replied._

 _He smiled in response, closing his eyes._

 _"Why should that matter? I felt happy when I heard you sing it." Shido answered._

 _"D-Do you mean it?" Miku asked._

 _He nodded his head, right as Shinji walked over to him._

 _"Careful son, we don't want to get separated." He reminded him._

 _"Right, sorry dad." Shido apologized._

 _Looking back at Miku, he smiled a bit._

 _"If you ever finish that song, I'd really love to hear it." Shido encouraged._

 _Walking back to her father, Miku felt her heart warming from his words._

* * *

Feeling his eyes shake, Shido walked closer Miku her.

"I remember, we did meet before. I can't believe I didn't recognize you sooner than this." Shido stated, wiping away some of her tears.

"You don't know how long... I've been waiting for the day we'd meet again." Miku smiled.

Before he could properly react, Miku moved her head forward and gave him a gentle kiss, making him blush as he found himself unable to pull himself away from her soft lips.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

After a minute or two, Miku finally pulled away before tightening her hold on Shido, hugging her large chest onto his body.

"M-Miku?" He asked, blushing more.

She looked at him, rubbing his face with her hands as he felt himself frozen by her actions.

"Finding you again wasn't just because I wanted to thank you, but because... what you did made me fall in love with you, Darling." Miku stated.

'Oh my.' He blushed, gulping a bit.

She hugged him again, resting her head on his shoulder before whispering into his ear.

"I understand you love Mio though, so tell her about this. If she doesn't allow it? I'll accept that, because just telling you how I feel and giving you that kiss is enough for me." She reassured him.

Shido's eyes widened before he closed them, hugging Miku back.

"Do you mind if..." Shido asked.

"Go ahead. I've always wanted to finish this song, and now that we've met again... I can finally complete it." Miku approved.

Quickly leaving to go and find Mio, she took out a piece of paper with her unfinished song as she began writing its final lyrics.

* * *

Saya was doing some of her Council President work, sighing a bit as she did.

 _"It normally isn't like you to stress out over such a thing." A female voice echoed, almost sounding like it was giggling._

"Huh?" She gasped, her eyes widened.

Turning around like she was expecting to see something, her face lowered as she realized there was nothing there.

Lowering her head, her hair could be seen covering her eyes.

"Of course it couldn't have been you... just how exhausted am I to think you're here?" She questioned.

Walking into the room, Rinne was seen carrying a few things Saya asked her to bring... though went silent as she saw the Council President's saddened stature.

'This... looks like a bad time.' She wisely realized.

Lowering what she held on the ground, Rinne silently exited the room by tiptoeing backwards.

"Where are you Kurumi? I miss you so much..." Saya cried.

Unknown to either her or Rinne during her brief moment, the sight of a black shadow could be seen on the wall before vanishing from view.

* * *

Mio could be seen waiting by the dog statue by the station, looking at her phone.

"I'm not sure what Shido wanted to meet me here for, but I have a good idea of what it might be." She thought aloud, looking around for him.

As she did, the sight of Tohka, Kotori, and Origami could be seen.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I know Mio asked us here, but if Shido sees us..." Origami questioned, shaking nervously.

"Most likely, but none of us said no to her idea either." Kotori answered.

"Guess all we can do is wing it on Mio's winging." Tohka sighed worriedly.

Tapping her foot on the ground, Mio continued waiting for Shido, humming a bit to past the time until finally...

"Hey!" Shido exclaimed.

Turning her head, Mio gave a warm smile as Shido waved at her before finally stopping by the statue.

"Sorry if you were waiting long." He apologized.

Mio giggled at that, giving his cheek a small peck.

"Don't worry, I only just got here a few minutes ago." She reassured him before hugging his arm.

The Spirits all watched as they headed towards a building.

"Hurry, follow them!" Kotori whispered loudly.

All three of them followed the two as they went into the same place, which was revealed to be the arcade.

Walking for a bit, Mio eventually pointed to a table with a screen on it.

"How about we play that game over there while we talk?" She asked.

"Sure thing." He approved.

Loading up a game of virtual table hockey, Mio quickly gained the lead as Shido silently tried to gather his thoughts.

"Guess I should just start with it... Miku and I realized the one who inspired her to sing was me." Shido admitted.

Everyone gasped at that.

"You mean the one from Shiori's story was you? That's ironic as it is sweet... although, it also doesn't seem like that's what you want to tell me, isn't it?" Mio replied, remembering Shido's text said he wanted to talk about something important.

He slowly nodded.

"After we both realized it, she said that she loved me before kissing me... on the lips." Shido confessed, blushing slightly.

Kotori gasped and nearly fell over after hearing that, with Tohka barely keeping her from falling and exposing all three of them.

Looking at her boyfriend for a bit, Mio closed her eyes and smiled.

"I see where this is going." She realized.

"Yeah, and because of how suddenly it happened and what Miku said? I felt it was best to-" Shido replied, scratching his cheek.

"Hear me say I have no problem sharing you." Mio interjected.

And the moment he heard that, his brain immediately skidded to a halt before making crashing sounds, including the long and loud horn of a truck before it crashed as well.

"Eh?" He blinked.

"Shido, if you want a harem, then I'm not going to prevent it. You're free to love multiple women if you honestly want to make them all happy." Mio stated.

"Really? But... why so easily? I mean, for so long you've-" He questioned.

"You're a kind soul, and I saw it myself when you reached out for me when I chose to run away. Seeing someone hurt isn't something you can bear. Maybe you have no idea over how you feel towards Miku just yet, but I can tell you understand how important she views you to her life." She answered.

The others all watched, feeling their eyes tear up as they remembered their talk with Mio.

"Not only that, I know that no matter how many people you share your heart with... I'll always be special due to the one thing only we share." Mio smiled.

Feeling his heart, the day of his revival as a Half-Spirit and the connection they formed briefly appeared in Shido's mind.

"Of course, we're literally connected to each other. You'll always be the one my heart will beat strongest for." He realized, feeling like an idiot.

Mio smiled as she nodded her head.

"But right now? I need you to seriously ask yourself how you feel about Miku." Mio replied.

Shido rubbed his head, unsure of how to answer that.

"How am I supposed to know? You and I felt like Orihime and Hikoboshi mixed with Romeo and Juliet, yet ending like Cinderella, so..." He admitted.

Mio put her hand on his, making him look at her.

"Let me help you out there. What made you return my feelings for you on the day we gave other our respective first kiss?" She asked.

"Uh... well, that's..." Shido trailed off, looking away.

"Shido, look at me. That's not helping." Mio chuckled.

He gave a long sigh before looking at her, rubbing his head as gave a face of embarrassment mixed with shame, causing Mio to tilt her head in slight confusion.

"Alright, guess I should confess this since you're the only one here... I've been aware that Kotori, Origami, and Tohka all have feelings for me." Shido admitted.

Once again, Kotori nearly fell over, with Origami catching her this time.

"I knew you weren't that dense, but now I have to ask... why have you never said anything? Why not respond to any of their feelings?" Mio questioned.

"Well, it's just... you know High School is the time where people need to consider where they'll go in life, right?" Shido replied, looking at her.

Mio nodded, remembering Shinji was in High School when they first met.

"I'm not sure they've ever told you this, but... my parents were living in that apartment when you first met them because my dad was an orphan, while my mom... got thrown out of the house by her parents." He revealed.

Mio gasped at that, while Kotori covered her mouth to make sure hers didn't get noticed by Shido, as even she had never heard of this.

"When they told me the story of how they ended up together, I found out my father struggled because while my mom was the first to confess? He had to work hard to be responsible for both his life and her own. My mom says it best like this... love is about being selfless to your partner, yet knowing when to be selfish for yourself, because love doesn't work if everyone isn't happy." Shido explained.

"Wait, so you haven't acknowledged how they felt because..." Mio realized, her eyes widening.

"That's right. Believe me, I'd gladly be willing to date all three of them, because I'd be lying if I said that I didn't like them at some level." He confirmed.

All of three of them blushed as they heard that.

"But at the same time? When you confessed to me, you made it clear you didn't care what my future was, only that you wanted to be with me. I don't know if that's how strong their feelings are, so unless a girl where to confess to me instead of me to them, like my mom did for my dad? I just don't feel safe enough to acknowledge their feelings, as I'd rather not break their hearts because I can't be what they were expecting... and maybe deep down? I'm just too scared of being rejected." Shido confessed.

Mio smiled at that, closing her eyes.

"Guess that's kind of pathetic, isn't it?" He sighed, looking to the side.

"You really are a kind man Shido, not many people would be willing to go through something like that." Mio replied.

Mio opened her eyes and turned around.

"So, are all three of you happy after hearing all of that?" She asked, waving for them to come over.

"Wait, what!?" Shido exclaimed.

Kotori, Origami, and Tohka all popped their heads into view, making Shido pale as he realized what was going on. Mio giggled as Shido looked her way, further confirming his suspicions.

"You've been planning all of this? Since when!?" He questioned.

"Remember when I needed that girl talk at the cafe?" She inquired.

"Dear God... how'd I not see that coming?" Shido breathed, slightly slumping into his chair.

Mio sneezed in reply, wiping her nose.

"Oh yeah... that's why." He realized, face palming in response.

Blushing at the reminder of what her powers made her, Mio gave a light laugh before clearing her throat and looking at the others.

"Anyways... I think you all have something to say to one another?" She mentioned, looking at everyone.

Shido sweated at that, knowing he had to face this now, but took a deep breath as he decided not to run.

"Shido, was... was what you said to Mio true? Would you really be willing to date all of us?" Kotori asked, feeling her body shaking as she sweated like crazy.

"I... yes, if none of you are against it, then I'll date all of you, but... only if you're sure of how you feel." He confirmed.

With that, all three of them had nothing left to worry about.

"Of course I am! Shido, I love you... I've loved you ever since you told me to keep living 5 years ago! I can never repay you enough for what you did for me!" Origami cried.

She moved forward, giving him a gentle kiss on the lips, making Shido blush a little.

"You showed me kindness, even when I showed you hostility. I'm who I am now because of you. That's why right now, I can say without any doubts... that I love you." Tohka smiled.

Tohka soon moved in for her own kiss, though she wasn't sure how to do it, so she puffed her cheeks. Shido blinked and just went with it as she gave a slightly more forceful kiss, either accidentally or because she underestimated her strength.

"Shido, you and I have known each other for 10 years... and those have been the 10 best years of my life. How could I not love you after all of that?" Kotori questioned.

At that moment, she grabbed Shido by the shoulder before flinging him towards her, making everyone stare as she forced him into a make out session.

"Uh... Kotori? I don't think he can breathe right now!" Origami panicked.

She gave her a confused look as she pulled away, only to gasp as she saw a blue-faced Shido wheezing from a lack of air. She panicked as she let him go.

"I am _so_ sorry!" She apologized.

"No, it's alright... I may have deserved that for ignoring how all of you felt for me all this time..." Shido quietly replied.

Finally getting back on his feet as his face lost its blue coloration, Shido felt all three girls hugging him as they smiled.

"Oh, one other thing? I promised each of them a date with you." Mio mentioned.

"I'll schedule something for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday then." He replied.

"Good, but for today? I think there's a _date_ you need get back to. After all, isn't there a fifth girl you need to tell can date you, and is technically the number 2 of your new harem?" She recalled.

Shido's eyes widened before coughing a bit, making the others release their hugs.

"I'm going to go call my sister, find where Miku is, and text Mio about the dates she says I promise you before finally-" He shouted, running to the door.

*"BANG!"*

All the girls winced as he ran into one of the arcade machines, holding his head.

"Changing my plans so the first thing I do is buy an ice pack..." Shido winced.

He slowly walked out.

"That's not going to leave a concussion, is it?" Tohka asked, pointing in his direction.

Everyone shook their heads, making her sigh in relief.

* * *

No longer in her disguise, Miku could be seen writing the last of her song's lyrics as she stood at Tenguu Viewpoint, admiring the area that Shiori had told her was Shido's signature spot. Looking at the finished song, Miku smiled brightly, glad it was finally ready.

"After so long, I'm glad to have finally finished you!" She exclaimed.

Opening her phone, she called her agency to give them the good news, getting a response immediately after hitting her contact for them.

"Yes, it's me. I just wanted you to know I finally finished my first song!" Miku revealed.

She smiled at their reply, nodding a bit.

"That's right, so why don't we have Wednesday's part of the concert start with it? I want to reveal my Darling to everyone as a grand thank you for how he got me on that stage." Miku continued.

Listening and nodded, she gasped happily.

"I knew you'd understand you sweeties, thank you!" She smiled.

Right at that moment, she saw Shiori calling, getting her attention.

"Oh, I'm getting a call from Shiori. I'll tell her the added details and have her call you later. Bye!" Miku stated.

Hanging up, she switched to Shiori's call.

"What's up sweetie?" Miku greeted.

"Just letting you know to stay put because Shido wants to answer your earlier question. No spoilers, so I'm hanging up... now." Shiori answered.

Miku paused as she heard herself get disconnected, confusing her slightly.

Right at that moment, Shido ran into the area, panting a bit as he ran out of breath.

"H-Hey... did you get my sister's call?" He asked.

"I just did, and based on what she said, this is related to what happened earlier." She assumed.

"Yeah, because I finally have my answer to you." Shido confirmed.

Miku nodded before standing still, part of her hopeful that Shido would give her the answer she wanted... and another nervous that he'd give her the answer she'd have to accept.

"And my answer is... you can date me." Shido replied, giving a smile at the latter half.

She gasped at that.

"Really?" Miku asked.

"Mio was already willing to share me among a harem because she knew she'd always be on top due to our link. Not only that? Thanks to you, three others who had feelings for me are able to be with me, and now I myself am confident I can make them all happy." Shido smiled.

Miku immediately stretched her arms out before running at Shido, pulling him into a tight embrace before kissing him deeply. While surprised at first, he quickly returned the kiss, allowing Miku to bring it into a make out session.

"I'm... I'm so happy, thanks for letting me be your second." Miku sniffled, a big smile on her face.

"Wait, how'd you know-" Shido asked in surprise.

"Silly Darling, you said it yourself that the others are now able to date you thanks to me, so logically I'm second for being the second to admit my feelings for you." She giggled.

Blinking a bit, he gave an awkward laugh.

"Well... I guess that's true." He admitted.

Miku quickly shut him up by kissing him again, and he closed his eyes as he returned it.

* * *

Rinne was seen tending the gardens of Rindouji High with great joy, humming as she did.

 _"Run away..."_

Her eyes widened as she heard that, briefly freezing in place before looking around, feeling herself shaking as if she was being watched.

"W-Who's there...?" Rinne questioned, shaking slightly.

 _"Run away!"_

Rinne jumped at that, only to clutch her chest as she felt something in her heart pulse.

"W-What's this... feeling? It hurts!" She grunted.

After she finished that sentence, she collapsed to the ground, feeling her eyes slowly close as something flash through her head.

* * *

 _Holding out her wand, a girl with black hair that heavily resembled Rinne could be seen as she cast a spell, blasting a DeNA wizard with a flurry of magical blasts._

 _"Sarah, are you sure we can leave this to you?" Artemisia asked, a worried look on her face._

 _"Don't worry about me, just focus on helping Ike's strategy succeed! We can't let ourselves fall here!" Sarah shouted in reply._

 _Despite her worries, Artemisia nodded before she ran off._

 _"Alright you bucket of bolts, let's see how you do against-"_

 _Turning back to face them, Sarah quickly noticed the group of machines had suddenly disappeared from view, confusing her slightly._

 _"Where did they..." She questioned._

 _*"CRASH!"*_

 _Looking upwards in response, she gasped as all of the robots reappeared from the ceiling as they broke it apart, making Sarah stare in shock as they immediately charged their weapons at her._

 _Turning around, she tried to run away... only for the ground under her foot to break and trap her._

 _"No... no, please! Somebody help me!" She begged._

 _Hearing her voice, Artemisia turned around to try and help her... only for a bright light to flash through the halls. Once she did, Artemisia fell on her knees, realizing it was too late._

 _"No... Sarah, not you too..." She cried, covering her face._

* * *

The flash of memories faded, with Rinne still unconscious as her eyes slowly opened, her vision and hearing slowly returning as she saw someone over her.

"Rinne... Rinne wake up!"

"Huh?" Rinne blinked, shifting towards the person in question.

She saw it was Saya, making her blink a few times to confirm it.

"Oh, thank goodness." She sighed.

Helping her up, Saya watched Rinne shook her head to regain her senses, holding her head.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Saya asked.

"I'm... not sure. I heard some kind of voice, but didn't see anything, and then... I saw something that didn't make sense. Truth be told? What I saw barely registered in my head, it's like a blur." Rinne explained.

Saya gave a confused look upon hearing that, scratching her head.

"You told me before that you may be looking for someone, right? By chance... is this someone with black hair and red eyes?" She asked.

"Uh... I don't think so, and I barely remember what I saw anyways. Is there any specific reason you'd be asking me that?" Rinne answered.

She didn't answer, closing her eyes as she looked away.

"We all have a past. Some of us can forget it, someone of us don't know of it, and for some? They just don't want to share it." Saya answered.

Watching her walk away, Rinne gave a confused look.

* * *

Hours passed until late night arrive, showing Mana humming as she prepared dinner.

As she began the finishing touches, a knock was heard at the front door. She took a brief look at what she was making and clearly saw she couldn't leave the pot right now.

"Honey, please get the door for me! My hands are tied with dinner!" Mana called out.

"On my way!" Shinji answered.

Walking up to the door, he saw the sight of his daughter and all of the Spirits besides Miku, allowing them to walk inside. As they came in, he noticed all of them except Mio had big smiles with noticeable blushes on their faces.

"Uh... is there any particular reason behind why you all look like you're suffering from heat stroke?" He asked, blinking a bit.

Mio giggled in response.

"That isn't heat stroke you're seeing, they're all blushing because they all got to kiss Shido." She revealed.

Shinji gasped while Mana dropped the spoon she was stirring the pot with for a moment, similarly shocked.

"Wait, then that would mean that he decided to..." Mana realized.

"That's right. Including myself, Shido now has five girlfriends." Mio confirmed.

Shinji kept staring before he fainted.

"Wait, as in... all of this just happened, today?" Mana asked.

"Yep." Kotori answered.

"Each one of you confessed your feelings to him?" Mana inquired.

"We did." Tohka confirmed.

"And I'm guessing this is a big story in itself?" She assumed.

"It is." Origami replied.

Mana chuckled a bit before her timer went off, allowing her to take the pot off the stove and towards the table, removing the worry of leaving the kitchen and having dinner spoiled.

"I'm also guessing this is why he isn't home yet, considering that I know Shido and Shiori wouldn't date each other." She asked.

"Eww! Mom, why'd you even suggest such a thing!?" Shiori exclaimed, nearly gagging.

"I'm just making sure." Mana chuckled, struggling to stop her laughter.

Getting some bowls, everyone sat themselves at the table as she poured them a bowl of stew, which everyone began eating.

"Wow, this is good!" Origami praised.

"I wish my mouth was bigger." Tohka agreed.

"Told ya." Kotori smirked.

A knock was heard on the door, making Mana stand up as she prepared to walk over to it... except it opened on its own. Miku soon posed into view as she sang a tune, with Shido right behind her.

"Hello everyone! Miku Izayoi, the famous teen Idol is here!" She exclaimed.

"Along with me." Shido mentioned, chuckling a bit.

Mana blinked before looking at the others, causing Mio to giggle slightly as she returned her look.

"As you can see, the fifth girl is Miku." She revealed.

"Of course she is." Mana remarked, rolling her eyes.

Walking over to her son and Miku, she extended her hand towards the latter.

"Anyways, it's a pleasure to have you. Would you like some stew?" Mana offered.

"That sounds delightful!" Miku accepted.

She skipped over to the table, with Shido chuckling a bit as he sat down. Both of them soon had their bowls filled, with Miku took her first bite, blushing and giving a muffled scream of delight.

"Delicious!" She exclaimed.

"My mom always makes the best food, so savor every bite." Shiori smiled.

Miku nodded in response, eating more.

"Thank you for the food Mrs. Takamiya, this is great!" She smiled.

"No need, feel free to call me Mana. Though I wouldn't mind if you called me mother when you may be joining the family fairly soon." Mana giggled.

"Mom!" Shido and Shiori exclaimed.

* * *

Somewhere on the ocean waters, an unconscious Ren was seen floating across them, with the ocean's current pulling her around without a set course or destination. Eventually, her body washed up onto a beach.

Someone walked by as her body was about to be pulled back into the waters, immediately rushing over and pulling her out of the water's range.

"Hey, are you alright?" They asked.

Opening her eyes, Rene saw the person who found them, but the salt of the ocean's waters had left her eyes so red that things were still a bit blurry and glowing to her.

"I'm... not sure." Ren answered.

"Who are you?" They asked.

"My... my name is..." She answered, feeling herself starting to get woozy.

She immediately blacked out.

* * *

It didn't take long for Wednesday to arrive in Tenguu City, along with the third day of Miku's Concert, which also marked it was now halfway into its run.

Everyone was gathered at Ten-Oh Square, including those who hadn't been able to visit on Monday or Tuesday as shown by those like Saya and Rinne's presence within the building, with Shido's group walking up the stairs to their usual watching spot.

"So, what's the order you decided for the dates I have today, tomorrow, and Friday?" Shido asked, looking at Mio.

"Kotori, Origami, and Tohka in that same order. It seemed right considering how long each of them has known you." She answered.

"Makes sense." He replied.

After the group made it to the room, he pulled her to the corner, making her blink slightly.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

"Last night. I didn't just return late due to finishing my date with Miku, but during... one certain part of it? Something happened with my Angel." Shido whispered.

"What happened?" Mio whispered back.

Shido scratched his head, wondering how he should word what he was about to say.

"I guess you should just see it." He decided.

Holding his hand out, the strange Angel materialized, with Mio surprised he didn't even need to say its name.

"You didn't say Ekenor... does that mean you already managed to separate it from this Angel?" Mio whispered.

"Yeah, and ever since, I can summon it by thought." Shido confirmed.

"And it was meeting with Miku that let you do this? It doesn't make sense, she just learned how to use her powers yesterday, so-" She questioned.

"Oh no, that wasn't yesterday. It was before that when I had this strange dream." He clarified.

Mio tilted her head in confusion.

Shido paused for a moment, unsure if he should tell her about meeting Phantom. He eventually decided not to because of her form as Reine.

"Anyways, take a closer look at... well, guess my Angel doesn't have a name." Shido continued.

Holding it out to her, Mio focused her gaze until she noticed a trace of Gabriel's Reiryoku inside of it.

"Did you use your Silence ability on Miku?" Mio asked.

"No, it happened when she asked me about my Angel, so I showed her. All Miku did was touch it, but she didn't feel her powers get drained afterwards." Shido answered.

She blinked a bit, wondering how this could happen, and then decided to touch it.

What happened next was she felt a slight pulse flow through her, making the light disappear as a faint Indigo glow covered her body for a moment. Mio and Shido gave silent gasps in response.

"Mio, did you just-" Shido questioned, remembering the fight with Alice.

"Yeah, I feel Miku's power connected to my own now." Mio confirmed.

This caused her to look at his Angel's shape.

'But if only the one crystal was glowing, even with a trace of hers inside... then what does the second one do? Just what is the power of this nameless Angel representing the Abyss?' She wondered.

Her thoughts stopped as Miku got on stage, making her scramble over to the others as she grabbed her glow sticks.

Miku was currently shown wearing in her casual attire, which got some fans confused, but not enough to really wonder anything beyond why she had chosen a simple costume for her next song.

"Welcome to the third day of my concert everyone! Before we begin our first song, I have something to announce, which is based on the choice of attire a few of you most likely didn't expect me to wear." She greeted.

Taking a deep breath, everything went quiet as everyone watched, some giving a confused look.

"Today, I'd like to share a story with all of you. When I was young? I didn't have the amazing singing voice that I have now, and I never considered becoming a singer, much less the Idol you know me as today. What changed all of that... was just a simple party, because there was someone there who changed my life." Miku began.

"Be prepared, I'm fairly sure the spotlight's about to hit you. Literally." Shiori giggled, nudging Shido's shoulder.

"Wait, what?" Shido asked.

Everyone moved away from Shido, causing him to break into a nervous sweat.

"This person heard me sing, and didn't care about my voice, truly appreciating what they had heard. It was then that I decided to make others happy with my voice, but the road to becoming an Idol... was much more difficult than expected. My voice took a long time before it could truly shine, but I soon managed to find an Agency that accepted me, and a manager I could trust." Miku continued.

All of her fans went _Aww~_ in response.

"Despite all of that? I had one song that I could never finish, and that was the very same song that started it all. No amount of thinking helped me find the words to finish the remaining lyrics to make it complete. Enough time passed until finally... I began to wonder if only meeting that same person again would be the answer, but whoever they were was someone I could only recognize by that very song." She said sadly, looking down for a moment.

'You were lost, unable to find the one answer. Not unlike I was until we met the same man.' Mio smiled, briefly glancing at Shido.

"However, the other day? A miracle happened. I found that very person, and they... no, he and I finally found each other again. The boy who gave me my voice, who is now the man who stole my heart. My Darling!" Miku smiled, blushing a bit.

Everyone gasped, with Shido flinching as the spotlight aimed at him. The entire crowd looked in that direction moments after.

"Wait, is that Shido!?" Ai exclaimed.

"No freaking way!" Mai shouted.

Mii didn't say anything, causing her two friends to look at her in confusion.

"Mii?" Ai asked, poking her.

Her face lowered as she collapsed onto her chair, showing she had fainted. Both of them quickly went quiet.

"Uh... hi?" Shido waved, feeling understandably uncomfortable.

The good news was that no one was apparently exploding at him, though it's likely Miku was using her Seirei Ability to quell said fighting... though Miku was also incredibly popular. The fans might just be smart enough to know that attacking him would upset her.

If not either of those? The only other thing that came to Shido's mind was it was to respect Miku did just say he was the reason she was even singing on the stage right now.

"So, today? I will sing to you a song that's been waiting a long time to be heard to the world. The first song I ever made, that even I consider... _My Treasure_." Miku announced.

 **[** **Date A Live II: My Treasure** **]**

Instead of the usual pop sounds tied to Miku's music, everyone heard a simple piano melody. Everyone was a bit caught off-guard, but the glow sticks still slowly moved to the music's rhythm, right as she closed her eyes and began to sway slight.

 _"Singing in the shower, and believing I am on... a stage! I reach out for the mic, and the light says it's my time!"_

 _"Echoing throughout the air, which gives birth to... a special song! I'm hearing it, as it resounds through my room. La! La! La~a! La! La! La~a! I sing on."_

The crowd began to match her swaying with their glow sticks.

 _"Reverb is bouncing... off each wall around me, with every echo sounding... so special and astounding!"_

 _"Even though... I am happy~y, I hope that I won't forget, how I felt... once before!"_

 _"Let me sing you a song, and let's sing along! The greatest gifts of all are the stars up in the sky! It's like I've been given the greatest gift by God! Let me sing you a song, and let's sing along! The greatest gifts of all are the stars up in the sky! Millions sparkle above, and light... the... night!"_

As that line ended, Kotori lit a flame on her finger.

Releasing a gentle breath towards it, the audience saw a brief wave of flames and warmth they believed was just a special effect.

 _"Walking silently through the park at night, I begin searching for my... dearest stage! I feel my feet stepping up a long flight of stone stairs, to look at the beautiful sky!"_

 _"Seeing the moon give me a spotlight, and realizing the stars are hearing my~y~y~y voice, resounding beyond the confines of home. La! La! La~a! La! La! La~a! I sing on."_

Origami held her hand out in response, causing it to glow slightly.

Everyone saw the entire stage was covered by small sparkles of light. Some people actually caught them, leaving it to briefly float in their palms and sparkle before vanishing into the air.

 _"As the people before me... give me their smiles, I feel the joy within... as a feeling that nothing rivals!"_

 _"To protect this treasure, in my~y heart... I will make sure to bring happiness to the stage I found back then, and the people... that I'll meet today!"_

 _"Let me sing you a song, and let's sing along! The greatest gifts of all are the stars up in the sky! It's like my hands can reach to the Heavens up above! Let me sing you a song, and let's sing along! The greatest gifts of all are the stars up in the sky! Millions sing... around, and embrace... the... world!"_

Tohka used this moment to send steams of energy across the walls towards the speakers.

Everyone saw the sight, and the moment they made contact with the speaker area? They gained an added intensity to the next part of the music.

 _"I want you to know this is not a perfect song, but the one that represents my heart clearly!"_

 _"Please come here, so I can embrace the one that allowed it to start singing!"_

 _"Even if I lose my voice one day, let the bond between our love... allow me to keep singing it just for you! Just me and you!"_

Mio sent a rainbow across the air with that.

The music changed at that moment, with the screen behind Miku showing recordings of her life, including some of her concerts and the songs she sang in them, with the room shifting across colors of the rainbow as they did.

 _"Let me sing you a song, and let's sing along! The greatest gifts of all are the stars up in the sky!"_

 _This is my gift to you... throughout time, but it's also... your gift... to me!"_

 _"Let me sing you a song, and let's sing along! The greatest gifts of all are the stars up in the sky! Millions reach... tomorrow, and enrich... our... hearts!"_

Miku stayed in place, letting the sounds of her song come to an end.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

The crowd began clapping in response, making her start to cry tears of joy as her first song, the song she took years to finish had been heard... and loved by her fans.

"Thank you so much, everyone out there... thank you! And thank you Darling! Thank you so much, I love you!" Miku said happily.

Shiori gave a toothy grin as she slapped her brother's back.

"Looks like you've become a little famous now, haven't you... Darling?" She joked, giggling a bit after saying it.

Everyone else joined her while Shido just gave a nervous laugh.

He could only hope his dates with Kotori, Origami, and Tohka wouldn't end up being as crazy as this part of Miku's concert was. A hope he was worried didn't exist.

* * *

 **I doubt too many were surprised that Shido ended up being the one from Miku's memories, but thanks to her? Shido's harem has finally happened! For the part about Miku being the second of his harem, well... that's kind of paralleling how Origami was this in a sense for canon. Mio is this to Tohka in being the Spirit who starts it all, while Miku is to Origami in being the harem antics take off.**

 **Not only that, but the Fraxinus is currently in development as our heroes' means of traveling the world, though it seems Elliot was too ambitious with his design plans (which were for the Fraxinus EX) since the ship can't be powered without the support of an unfinished device. Luckily, they need the ship for travel more than battle right now, so leaving it in a fragile state isn't too big an issue if they keep it cloaked.**

 **Now, while I'll leave it up to you if she was actually there or not in that one scene... Kurumi's finally made her presence in the story, which was the surprise I mentioned at the start notes! *cheers* Saya's been hinting her since Ch 3, though if she knows she's a Spirit or simply thinks she may be one is something I'll leave you guessing on for now, but you'll definitely enjoy how I'm showing the Spirit of Time in this story.**

 **Speaking of mysteries, this chapter revealed Rinne and Tohka have the same origin despite she's yet to register this... yet DEM has yet to notice this? Since they help the JGSDF protect Tenguu City, they would have been shown her picture after she moved into the city, and would have recognized her on sight as they recognized Tohka was Alicia's reincarnation. So, why don't they recognize her?**

 **Last thing before we end today's chapter? Be excited for the March update, because I'm going to try... for a triple chapter update! We have three dates, so I'm going to see if each can be its own chapter, so wish me luck there. I won't upload them all on the same day, but you'll see them close enough, and after that? The update for April will be this story's anniversary, and once that happens? This story will start updating more than once a month to celebrate!**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	12. Wild Wednesday

**Alright everyone, here's the first of three chapters I promised for March! Starting off the first of the three dates is Kotori, our resident fireball among the Spirits, both figuratively and literally. *chuckles* Makes it quite fitting that her date is happening during the chapter I called "Wild Wednesday." Anyways, since I managed to get all three dates to be a single chapter? There are a few things I should mention about them.**

 **Obviously, these chapters are mostly focused on the Spirit getting the date, but not just the date itself. These chapters will all have a lot of flashbacks involved to show a few things that either haven't been seen or giving more insight on events that made the girls love Shido, the exception being Tohka since hers do more to help give us an understanding to her initial personality and past hatred of Mio's happier life.**

 **The rest of each chapter will give some focus to other things, with the only constant being Miku and Rinne will each have a moment in one chapter, since it's currently her arc and we're seeing her starting to remember who and what she is despite her arc isn't until later on. Last thing I'll say is for everyone else, they may or may not show in certain chapters.**

 **The only other thing I'll say before we start this chapter is we recently got Tohka's new form on the cover of V20, and the release of Date A Material 1.5, which gave us a lot of new information about the Spirits. For the former? It may not appear due to possible spoilers, but mostly because of some... obvious issues tied to Tohka and Mio's in-story selves. For the latter? A lot of said info will be used, minus a few things, like the canon name of Mio's Astral Dress.**

 **Now, let the chapter begin!**

* * *

 **[Chapter 12 - Wild Wednesday]**

Kotori was heard screaming as she ran her hands through her hair, panicking as she looked over all the clothes and products she had to try and prepare herself before her date with Shido began... with minimal success.

Tohka and Origami both ducked as her flailing sent everything flying through the air. Mio just stood there and felt her head lightly move as something hit it.

"I was sure I had been prepared for today, so why is this happening to me now of all times!?" She screamed, slamming her hands into the wall over and over without stopping.

"Need a hand?" Miku offered.

Kotori paused and turned around to see the Spirit Idol, who was currently wearing... a Nurse's outfit, to her complete confusion.

"Does she have a song based on that?" Mio asked, pointing at her.

Tohka gave a similar look, making Origami quickly shake her head.

"I agree with them, what's with the nurse's outfit?" Kotori asked, scratching her head as she tried and failed to understand why she had it on.

"Shiori told me you might fizzle out with your date preparations." Miku explained.

'She... did... what!?' She growled.

"And because of that, I decided that I should help you relax and prepare yourself for it." Miku continued, holding out her fingers and wiggling them like they were worms.

Kotori paused, blinking a few times.

"Eh?" Kotori replied, tilting her head.

"Just follow me and I'll make sure you look good enough for your date that Shido's socks will be knocked off until it ends." She giggled, quietly clapping her hands together.

Pulling Kotori by the arm, the others all peaked their heads out.

"You know, I'm actually curious to see what she'll do. Who wants to follow and watch this?" Mio mentioned, looking at the others.

"I'm in." Tohka agreed.

"Me too." Origami nodded.

* * *

Kotori blinked as she found herself in a massage room, surprising her a bit.

"Why is this here?" She questioned.

"Not every Super Star can go through all the work they do here without some aid, so this room helps out in making sure you're in tip top shape." Miku replied.

"Uh..." Kotori replied oddly.

Picking up a few towels and holding them out to Kotori, she gave a confused look at Miku's actions.

"Put these on, I'm about to give you the wonder of a professional level spa massage." She smiled.

"I... get the feeling I can't say no." Kotori sighed.

Grabbing the towels as she took off her clothing and wrapped them around certain areas of her body, she laid herself on the table as Miku readied the massage oil. She squirted on her back.

Kotori expected it to be cold, but... it was strangely warm.

"Why is this stuff warm?" She asked, raising an eye.

"The point is for you to be comfortable and relax, how would that happen if something cold made your skin jump?" Miku explained.

"That's... actually a fair point." Kotori admitted.

"Anyways, let's start by oiling up your skin." Miku continued, starting to run her magical fingers across it.

Kotori felt herself twitch as she dug into a knot.

"Seriously, how is this helping?" She winced.

"Oh my, you've got muscle knots everywhere. I think we'll need a little more than my fingers." Miku realized.

She got a few hot rocks out and placed them on her bare back. Normally she'd put a towel on, but ever since Kotori awakened her power over flames, no amount of heat could bother or burn her.

Mio's theory was a Spirit was unable to be harmed by their respective elements due to how each Crystal's power was born from part of the Earth.

"How does this feel?" Miku asked.

"Well... it's OK, I guess?" Kotori replied.

She felt a weird tingle as Miku began massaging her legs, making her start to feel like melting putty.

"What's happening?" She asked.

"This will help remove any swelling in your legs, as well as the rest of your body." Miku explained.

"Oh... really?" Kotori replied.

Feeling herself get flipped over, Kotori's face showed itself being relaxed as it got a little sleepy, showing the effectiveness of Miku's massage as she dug into her shoulder blades.

"See? Doesn't this feel nice? You need to be taking better care of your gorgeous skin." She smiled.

"Why? Doesn't matter what I do, although... I doubt I'd mind if you... always did this..." Kotori quietly said, feeling her eyes close.

At that moment, she fell asleep and began to quietly snore.

Miku smiled as she continued the massage, knowing that with Kotori asleep, finishing it up would be much easier than if she had stayed awake.

* * *

Waking up, Kotori gasped as she noticed her shining smooth skin and how much better her body and mind felt, with Miku smiling as she stood up.

"Did you enjoy your nap?" She asked.

"Yeah, I feel pretty good..." Kotori admitted, noticing how much softer her skin was.

She paused for a moment.

"You... didn't do anything while I was asleep, did you?" She questioned.

Miku smiled, doing her best to hold a poker face, giving no clear answer.

"Well, even if you did, the massage felt so good that I don't really care. Do you think you could give me more in the future?" Kotori admitted, looking away slightly.

"Of course!" Miku agreed, her eyes sparkling like stars.

'Please tell me I didn't just walk into something I'm going to regret?' Kotori thought, a nervous look on her face.

The others soon found the massage room, noticing Kotori's form.

"Wow..." Mio said in awe.

"Kotori, go through the door ahead. Shiori's waiting for you to finish the other half of your date preparations." Miku smiled, motioning her hand.

"OK?" Kotori replied.

She did just that as Miku looked at the others, noticing Mio near the massage table.

"Can I go next?" She asked.

"Of course." Miku replied, smiling a bit.

* * *

Kotori soon found herself in a room with a bunch of clothes and a hair salon. Looking around, she soon saw Shiori walk into view with a slight smirk on her face.

"Let's get you prettied up." Shiori declared.

"Put any makeup on me, and you'll be dead..." Kotori warned, glaring slightly.

Shiori flinched and gave a nervous laugh, quickly taking her warning to heart.

'Guess makeup isn't for everyone.' She thought.

Placing Kotori in the chair, she began washing her hair before shampooing, conditioning, and styling it into a certain shape.

"Shiori, what are you doing?" Kotori questioned.

"No spoilers until we get your outfit picked out." Shiori winked.

She shouted as Shiori pulled her into a changing booth, blindfolded her, and began changing her into various outfits before settling on one. Nodding her head, she pulled the blindfold off.

"And... ta dah!"

Kotori looked to see her hair was down free, yet tied a certain way in the back using both her ribbons to hold it.

Taking a look at her outfit, she saw it was a pink T-shirt over an opened short-sleeved red jacket with a black skirt with a ruffled white tip and strings tied as a ribbon near where a zipper would normally be.

She even had black stockings with red boots to compliment said skirt and her fiery red hair.

"Is this really me?" Kotori asked.

"Yep, now do you feel ready to go on your date?" Shiori smiled.

"Yeah, thank you." She replied.

"Alright, then let's get you to Shido and start your date." Shiori stated.

* * *

Shido whistled a bit as he waited by a Torii gate honoring Inari, specifically the Fox God's association to prosperity. As he waited for Kotori to show up...

"Hey, aren't you Shido Takamiya?" Someone asked.

"Hmm?" Shido blinked, turning his head.

The person he saw was none other than Kotori's classmate and newest friend, Yoshino. The main difference was she had her hair held in two rings, holding them over her shoulders, while wearing a Shrine Maiden outfit as she held a broom.

"Yeah, that's me. You are?" He replied, looking at her.

"I'm Yoshino Mizui, a classmate of Kotori's." Yoshino replied.

"Oh, so you're the girl Kotori told us about the other day. Didn't know you had a job at this shrine." Shido realized, noticing her attire.

"Actually, this isn't a job. I simply volunteer here out of my own free will." She clarified.

"Really? That's very kind of you." Shido smiled.

Yoshino blushed at that, rubbing her arm slightly.

"So, why are you standing out here?" She asked.

"I'm waiting for Kotori, we have a date today and this is where she wanted us to meet." He answered.

"Really? I knew you were dating Mio and Miku implied the same during her concert earlier, but I didn't know you were dating Kotori too." Yoshino said in surprise.

"No surprise you didn't know that. After all, she only directly confessed to me yesterday." Shido chuckled.

"Shido!"

Both of them turned as they saw Kotori run into view, with Shido blushing as he saw her current attire.

"Whoa..." Both breathed.

"Sorry if I kept you waiting. Miku and Shiori thought they should help me dress up for the occasion, so... does it look alright?" Kotori apologized, blushing as her eyes looked away.

"Cute... u-uh, I mean I'm cute... wait!" Shido stuttered, mixing up his words.

Kotori looked at him before laughing a bit, realizing what he was trying to say.

"You really do look pretty." Yoshino smiled.

Looking to the side, Kotori's eyes widened in surprise at her new friend's presence, only now just realizing she was here.

"Yoshino? You work at this shrine?" She asked, blinking a bit.

"No, just volunteer work. Congratulations on having your first date today." Yoshino replied.

Kotori nervously rubbed her right ear.

"So, are you ready to go?" Shido asked, offering a hand to her.

"Y-Yeah... let's go." Kotori smiled, accepting it.

Yoshino waved goodbye to them as they walked off, taking a moment to walk into the shrine and see what kind of luck their date would have through a fortune.

"Hmm... not bad luck, yet not the best luck. I wonder what that will mean for today?" She wondered aloud.

As they walked away from the shrine, Shido noticed the absence of her ribbons, unaware he was looking in the wrong places.

"Did you decide not to wear your ribbons today?" He asked.

"I am wearing them, look behind me." Kotori corrected.

Shido moved back, seeing how Shiori had tied them in the back of her hair, making him give an embarrassed chuckle.

"Oh, well I was clueless." He remarked.

"You really should know better that I'd always find a way to wear them. After all, you were the one who gave me these ribbons, remember?" She replied.

Shido closed his eyes and he smiled.

"How could I forget?" Shido answered, letting the memory flow through his mind.

* * *

 _Kotori sat in the car as her parents drove her home, looking at the window as she saw all of the damage from the Tenguu Fire had since been repaired through Realizers. The car came to a stop as they finally arrived at their destination._

 _"We're home." Haruko stated._

 _"Hmm? Oh, coming!" Kotori replied._

 _Unbuckling from her seat and opening the door, Kotori followed her towards the door._

 _"Give us just a moment, we want to make sure everything got restored since we're home." Tatsuo requested._

 _Kotori blinked at that, wondering why he'd say that since Realizers were supposed to restore all that damage._

 _Waiting for a moment, she sat by the car and look at her reflection._

 _"I can't believe they're gone..." She sighed sadly._

 _Looking at her hair, she touched it longingly as her twin tails were left absent by the lack of her white ribbons, which had apparently been incinerated in the fire._

 _"Guess I'll just have to wear my hair like this now..." Kotori sighed._

 _"Alright Kotori, you can come in now!" Tatsuo called._

 _Sighing as he got up, Kotori walked back into her house with the still saddened look, until..._

 _*"POP!"*_

 _*"POP!"*_

 _*"WHISTLE!"*_

 _She jumped in surprise, looking ahead to see her parents, Shido, Shiori, and their parents standing in front of a banner. The room decorated with streamers and balloons, with confetti raining down._

 _" **SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!** "_

 _"Birthday?" Kotori repeated._

 _A gasp left her voice as she finally remembered that today was her 10th birthday!_

 _"I completely forgot." She realized._

 _"Don't feel too bad. After the fire, we weren't sure if we should wait until tomorrow to celebrate, but since your parents came back just to make sure you were OK? We felt the chance shouldn't be wasted." Mana smiled._

 _"Oh, and I think Shido has a present you might enjoy opening now." Shinji mentioned, winking a bit._

 _"Eh?" Kotori blinked._

 _He walked up to her and held out a small box, which was completely unwrapped. Looking at it before opening it, the look on her face as she did was of pure shock, taking out the ribbons she wore in the present day._

 _"I saw you lost your ribbons, and I didn't have a present before the fire began, so... I decided to buy you new ones. Do you like them?" Shido smiled, rubbing his cheek._

 _Tears flooded her eyes, quickly followed by her crying._

 _"Aw, look at that. She loves them." Shiori giggled._

 _"S-Shut up Shiori! Don't answer for me!" Kotori exclaimed, rubbing the tears out of her eyes._

 _Her eyes opened up, showing a teary smile as she tied her twin tails in with her new ribbons._

* * *

Kotori giggled a bit.

"In all honesty? I think that was the day my feelings for you formed, as that was around the time puberty started for me." She mentioned.

"Uh... OK? Weird choice of reply, but I'll take it." Shido replied.

As they walked for a bit, Kotori finally asked a certain thought.

"So, where exactly are we going for our date? You did tell me to let Mana get my bag ready." Kotori asked, giving him a curious look.

Shido chuckled a bit, making her sweat.

"What... did you pick?" Kotori asked.

"The Amusement Park, because you can't say no to any rides while we're on a date." Shido revealed.

She paled on the outside as she screamed on the inside.

'He's making me face my fears of going on certain rides! Damn it Shido, why'd you make me have to confess my feelings to you like I did?' Kotori panicked.

Looking at her expression, he gave a light chuckle.

* * *

Mio was seen laying on the massage table, her skin shining as she felt like melted putty.

It wasn't only her, as Tohka and Origami were in a similar position, having been talked into letting Miku's magical fingers work their magic on her as well. Shiori walked into the room with a deadpan look on her face.

"Uh... Shiori, this isn't what you think." Miku reassured her, waving her hands out.

"Meaning it _is_ what I think it is." Shiori sighed, shaking her head in disappointment.

Just as she was about to chew her girlfriend out for using the massages as she did, Mio slowly lifted her head and made a sparkle of Reiryoku stop her in place.

"No need to get antsy." She smiled.

Looking at her as she sat up, her face still smiling, emphasized more than usual by her shiny skin.

"Mio?" Shiori blinked in surprise.

"It may be a little weird and unexpected, but I didn't see any real harm. I think the only problem is Miku didn't consider Shido's terms for something like this. After all, you have terms for your relationship, while Shido should be the one that decides the term for Miku in his harem." Mio stated.

Shiori gave a flat expression, while Miku's eyes sparkled.

"We all agreed to get massages, so we had her consent in a way. Though since Miku is second among the harem at the same time? I think she does need some punishment, but only one me or Shido decide, and as for the terms?" She continued.

Miku's eyes lost their sparkle as a nervous sweat formed on her face.

"I'll make a deal. If you willingly do a punishment I decide, then I'll talk with Shido about when you can be touchy-touchy with the rest of his girls, with anything else being limited to simple and/or normal acts of affection. Are those terms you can accept?" Mio asked, giving a giggle with slight authority to it.

"R-Really?" Miku gasped, not expecting her to say that.

"Doubt we'll be able to limit or stop your perverted side, so better we control it." Mio shrugged.

Shiori raised an eye.

'Why do I feel that Mio's letting Miku off way too easy?' She thought.

"And now... time for you to know the big punishment that I have planned. Hope you don't chicken out from it." Mio stated.

"I'm not worried, you're too nice to think of anything that bad." Miku agreed, feeling confident.

"Exactly, which is why I'm having my phone help me." Mio replied, holding it up.

The idol felt her eyes widen a bit as she saw Mio access the search feature, looking at some potential punishments until she found something.

"Tohka, Origami? Tell me what you think about this one." She suggested.

Both looked at it and gave interested looks, especially Tohka, making Miku start shaking as she realized what Mio just did.

'I take it back, Mio's making sure the punishment is as heavy as the conditions she's set.' Shiori thought, silently snickering.

"Alright Miku, your punishment is..."

Whatever it was? Miku immediately fainting was the only thing that showed how bad a punishment they decided on, a look of horror on her face as she laid frozen and motionless.

* * *

Kotori's face was giving a fearful stare at the sky, showing Shido and her on a Sky Drop ride, with her only comfort being it was still at the bottom.

"Um... is it too late to get off? I want off." She asked.

"Oh, it's way too late." Shido replied, pointing to the side.

Kotori paled as the seats briefly shook, signaling the mechanisms were finally moving them into the sky.

"N-No... I'm not ready! Rewind time! Rewind it!" She panicked.

Realizing she wasn't comfortable at all, Shido moved his left hand to hold her right hand, making her calm down a bit as she noticed it.

"This feel better?" He asked.

"Eh... yeah, guess that's a little better. Kind of." She replied, still nervous.

Shido soon winced as she grabbed it tightly, but just gave a toothy smile.

The machine soon reached the top, and then seconds later... everyone screamed as their seats dropped back to the ground even faster than they had been brought up. Kotori screamed loudly as her eyes closed almost immediately after this happened.

When they finally reached the bottom, a Realizer safely cushioned the impact, marking the official end of the ride.

"Kotori, you can open your eyes now." Shido stated, looking at her.

Taking a moment to open her eyes, Kotori blinked as she noticed... she was perfectly fine. No feelings of weakness, no lingering fear, no tight lungs.

"I'm... I'm alright?" She said, surprised at herself.

"I think you just conquered your fears." Shido smiled.

"What? No way, I'm pretty sure trying this ride again or anything similar would freak me out the moment I did." Kotori denied.

"Then it sucks that the Roller Coaster is our next ride." He remarked.

Kotori paled at that.

* * *

Within DEM, the Jophiel Crystal was seen on a stand as a scanning light moved over it, analyzing the Sephira Crystal's properties as the DEM analysts looked at the readings they got.

"Hmm... weird, I don't see any traces of Maryoku within the Crystal, so why did Tohka and Origami enter the Inverse Form if that's the case?" Mikimoto mentioned.

"Maybe it didn't relate to the Sephira Crystal, bring up the readings on everyone else." Nakatsugawa suggested.

They did just that, which is when they saw Maryoku traces in all of them besides Mio, who was completely without it. This further confused them.

"Mio shows no signs of any as expected, yet the others don't. How can that be?" Minowa questioned.

"I believe we can help answer that." Westcott replied.

Everyone turned as he walked into the room with Elliot and Ellen, the latter still with his one crutch.

"Do you know something we don't?" Kawagoe asked.

"More than just know. This relates to not only studies Mildred's been doing, but how we first met Shinji and Mana, as when we did... that was the ONLY time we ever remember seeing Mio get angry in the 6-7 months she's technically been alive for." Ellen clarified.

"That's right, you never told us about how that went." Shiizaki recalled.

Westcott chuckled a bit as he recalled that awkward reunion of sorts.

* * *

 _Mio was sitting at the table as she watched Mana cook some Chili, who noticed something wrong with it._

 _"Why is it doing that?" She asked._

 _"I was kind of hoping you could tell me that, considering how much better you are at doing our taxes and following the stock market." Mana admitted, rubbing her head._

 _Looking at it, she only gave Mana a confused look, making her sigh a bit._

 _"At least it won't explode on us." Mana remarked, shaking her head slightly._

 _Right as she said that, Mio's eyes widened before running away from the pot, getting Mana's attention... right as the Chili exploded on her face. She screamed as she looked at herself._

 _"Before you blame me for not warning you? I didn't know it would do that, just expected you might have jinxed it." Mio mentioned._

 _"Two things to say to that. First is you're likely right and I probably walked right into that, and second is thank you for your honesty." Mana replied, wiping her face._

 _Mio tapped her, causing all of the Chili on her body to vanish._

 _"And I'm still tremendously jealous of that." She admitted._

 _Shinji soon walked through the door, holding bags of both groceries and a few other things they needed._

 _"Shin!" Mio exclaimed._

 _He immediately widened his eyes as Mio hugged him, nearly falling over in the process. Shinji quickly switched to a playful laugh as Mio started nuzzling his cheek._

 _"Yes, I'm happy to see you too." He replied._

 _"Want help with those bags?" Mio offered._

 _"No need, I'm alright. A friend of mine and Mana's is even helping carry the rest inside." Shinji answered._

 _Walking into the kitchen, he noticed the mess with Chili._

 _"What happened?" Shinji asked._

 _"Take a wild guess?" Mana answered, rolling her eyes._

 _"OK?" He replied._

 _Walking to the pot, he tasted a bit... then made a weird face._

 _"Taste kind of powdery." Shinji mentioned._

 _"Wait, powdery?" She repeated in horror._

 _Rushing to the trash, she saw she accidentally used Baking Soda instead of Chili powder._

 _"And that explains it..." She sighed._

 _Mio looked through the bags, noticing some blue hair dye._

 _"What's this? Are we making me your sister?" Mio asked._

 _"Oh no, that's for us." Mana asked, taking it from her._

 _"Huh? You mean your hair isn't naturally blue?" Mio replied, showing a bit of surprise._

 _Shinji chuckled._

 _"No one's hair is naturally blue. This is something we do to symbolize our relationship, since we really... only have each other." Shinji explained, looking down as he said it._

 _Mio looked at him worriedly._

 _They didn't say anything either, as Shinji wasn't in the mood to reveal he was an orphan, nor was Mana in the mood to talk about how her parents threw her out of the Murakumo Household._

 _*"DING DONG!"*_

 _That quickly got Mio's attention, to the relief of Shido's parents._

 _"Shinji, we can't get the door!"_

 _"Coming!" He answered._

 _Opening the door, the sight of a young Tatsuo and Haruko, the latter still known as Haruko Homura, walk into the apartment. Tatsuo was the same besides wearing different glasses, while Haruko looked like her daughter did if her twin tails and flowing hair were replaced by tight bundle wraps._

 _"Hmm?" Mio blinked._

 _Rubbing her eyes, the sight of Tatsuo caught Mio's attention, but she couldn't remember where she had seen the boy before._

 _"Oh, just so you two know? We have a third resident living with us now. Be careful not to overwhelm her, and don't ask any weird questions." Shinji warned._

 _"Why would that be a-" Tatsuo questioned._

 _Before he could finish that sentence, he gasped at the sight of Mio's form, pointing at her._

 _"That's the girl who brought you your lunch a few days ago!" He recalled, recognizing her._

 _And that's when Mio remembered him._

 _"That's right, you were that boy he was sitting with that day. Hi again." She waved happily._

 _"Wait a second." Homura stated, glaring a bit._

 _Mio blinked as she got closer to her heavenly chest, then looked at her own chest which was even smaller than Mana's was, making her pout._

 _"Please tell me she has implants..." Homura begged._

 _"Eh..." Mana trailed off, sweating a little._

 _"Come on, you can't tell me these chest balloons are the real-" She exclaimed, reaching for them._

 _Mio squeaked as Homura squeezed her chest once, making her pale at how real it had felt to her._

 _"Impossible, why is life so unfair?" Homura cried, laying on the ground._

 _Mana rubbed her back, knowing words couldn't comfort her right now._

* * *

 _Sitting down, Shido's parents explained things to Kotori's, with Mio giving them the necessary evidence with her ability to change her outfit._

 _"Wow..." Haruko breathed._

 _"So, you met this girl in a Spacequake crater, initially having the mentality of a baby, brought her home and then named her, helped her learn to speak, saw her make a small white Spacequake that did no damage, and offered her to live with you. That sum everything up?" Tatsuo summarized._

 _Shinji nodded his head._

 _"Are you sure this is a good idea? Keeping someone like her here, never considering she may be some kind of Anti-Spacequake defense to help the world?" Haruko questioned._

 _"She isn't that, Mio says she recalls being near people she ran from, and not in a lab." Mana replied._

 _"Nor is she an alien, as besides her powers? We've seen her eat, drink, sleep, and do her business like any other Human would. She seems more like a deity at this point." Shinji added._

 _Tatsuo and Haruko looked at each other, shrugging a bit._

 _"Well if she can do what you say, guess she would be able to protect you... so, I think we can help keep this secret." Tatsuo agreed._

 _"Same here." Haruko shrugged._

 _Right as that was said, the sound of an alarm went off, getting their attention. On the other hand? Mio felt herself shaking, as if she instinctively knew what was really going on._

 _"The alarm? But our phones aren't sending anything about it, so what's going on?" Shinji asked._

 _"They're here..." Mio whimpered, her face full of fear._

 _While initially confused, Shinji and Mana both gasped as they realized who **they** were._

* * *

 _Shinji and Mio were seen hiding in an alley way, taking advantage of everyone being spooked off by the alarm and leaving everywhere deserted. Mio was still shaking over the entire situation._

 _"Don't panic Mio, we'll get out of this." Shinji whispered, rubbing her back._

 _"How can you say that and mean it Shin?" Mio questioned, not believing it._

 _Shinji tried to come up with a reply, but quickly sighed upon realizing that Mio would see through any false reassurances he tried to give her._

 _"Fine, maybe I can't do that... but Mana and I are still your family. We're not letting them take you if we can do anything about it." He promised._

 _Mio's eyes widened at that, feeling her hands tremble as she hugged Shinji tightly, feeling tears form in her eyes._

 _"Hey, I think I heard something!"_

 _Realizing they were getting close, Shinji immediately pulled on Mio's hands, making her nearly release a shout of surprise. Unfortunately, only moments after running, Lady Luck had apparently stopped helping them._

 _"Long time no see." Westcott greeted, looking at Mio as he walked into view._

 _"Who are you? What do you want!?" Shinji questioned, sweating a bit._

 _"Ah, so you've been the one protecting the Spirit all this time. I really appreciate your hard work. Now, can I ask you return her to us?" He requested, making sure to not make it sound like a threat._

 _Shinji got defensive, making Westcott sigh a bit._

 _"I truly mean no harm. If you still can't believe me, then should I confirm your sister is safe and unharmed in any manner?" He suggested._

 _"What!? Just what did you do to my girlfriend!?" Shinji screamed angrily._

 _Westcott froze at that, a clear look of embarrassment on his face as he realized how incredibly wrong he got their relationship, which wasn't to unlikely for anyone to make since they had the same eyes and dyed hair._

 _"OK, not your sister... that's embarrassing." Westcott admitted._

 _Unfortunately, it was clear this boy perceived him as a threat, meaning that he had gotten too close with the Spirit. If her powers were still as dangerous as believed... he had no choice but to guilt Mio into going with him, hoping she now understood enough to know they weren't the enemy._

 _And so, he pulled out a tranquilizer gun, making Shinji panic as he held Mio closer, who in turn completely froze as everything in her mind flashed between many colors, with gray appearing more than any other._

 _Faster and faster did the color come as the others slowly vanished to represent her state of mind._

 _"I'll give you one last chance. Just give me the girl, and then no one has to get hurt. You don't have any comprehension of the power standing next to you." Westcott warned._

 _Shinji didn't stand down, even as Westcott slowly pulled the trigger to show his intent to fire._

 _"Go ahead, kill me if you want! I'm not letting you take Mio away no matter what reason you have!" He screamed._

 _Hearing the name, Westcott's eyes widened as he accidentally pulled the trigger too much, shooting the tranquilizer at Shinji without intended to. He closed his eyes, not seeing it wasn't a bullet flying at him._

 _However, at that same moment? For the first time in Mio's life... she made an expression of anger._

 _*"BOOM!"*_

 _Westcott fell on his butt as he watched Mio manifest her Astral Dress for the first time._

 **[** **Date A Live: Seirei** **]**

 _Looking at the land now styled like a checkerboard with a metallic tree that Sophie sat in, the strange flower with Aura inside, and the ripples showing Ain's formless state as Phantom's noise cover hid her appearance._

 _Despite he didn't see the Avatars of her Angel, he was aware that his action just awoke some of her latent power._

 _"Get away from Shin!" Mio screamed, her Reiryoku surging out._

 _'That's it... we're all dead. I tried to save the mages, and instead doomed us and all of Humanity.' Westcott thought, in too much panic to pass out like he wanted._

 _Her bare feet walked towards his immobile form._

 _"I don't know who you are, why I saw you when I was born, or what you're doing here while coming after me. What I do know is you're threatening one of the people I've grown to love more than anything... and if you try to hurt them, I'll erase you from this world!" She exclaimed with an intense glare._

 _Realizing he was dead, he closed his eyes to accept it._

 _'Elliot, promise me you'll take care of Ellen..." He wished, trying to face his end with dignity._

 _"Mio, stop!"_

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

 _Hearing Mana's voice, Mio turned around to see she was OK, with Ellen and Elliot behind her._

 _"Mana?" She said in surprise._

 _"They're not here to do anything bad! These people were looking for you because they made you by accident, they just wanted to make sure nothing bad happened after you ran off from them! Just... just calm down and listen!" Mana begged._

 _Looking at her friend for a moment, Mio took a deep breath before her Astral Dress and Angels disappeared._

* * *

 _After listening to everything the Hermetic Trio had to say, Mio the two sets of future parents were finally aware of everything._

 _"Real mages who destroyed all magic just to avoid being hunted by some unknown group? If Mio couldn't do what was basically magic in all but name, I'd call you three crazy." Haruko remarked._

 _"Helps you have last names of some major figures." Tatsuo mentioned._

 _Westcott nodded._

 _"We didn't know the Spacequakes would happen, much less create Mio... but we know all that power meant she could do a lot of damage if the wrong experiences hit her. It makes me happy you helped her avoid those." He replied._

 _Mio lowered her head, knowing she kind of proved that earlier when she felt such powerful anger for the first time._

 _"And that's why we have to take her to safety, so-" Ellen continued._

 _"Wait." Westcott interjected._

 _His friends looked at him as he looked at Mio, who gave a confused look._

 _"Right now, are you... happy?" Westcott inquired._

 _"Eh?" She blinked._

 _"I mean, do you want to stay here?" He asked._

 _Mio's eyes widened, answering only with a swift nod._

 _"Then... you can stay." He sighed._

 _"WHAT!?" Ellen and Elliot exclaimed._

 _Both of them pushed their faces into his, surprising everyone else._

 _"Are you crazy!? You know why we've been trying to find her!" Ellen reminded him._

 _"What if something happens!?" Elliot questioned._

 _"Didn't that occur when I threatened the people she's come to cherish so dearly?" Westcott retorted._

 _They both froze, looking down slightly._

 _"Besides, we already told the JGSDF about everything, including that group who hunted down us former mages. I think this is the best place she could be. Not only that, but isn't her being happy enough to show we didn't create something that will turn against the world? She loves it... because she loves them." He mentioned._

 _Both thought a bit more before realizing he was right._

 _"Alright, guess we have to keep her here." Elliot agreed._

 _Ellen looked at them._

 _"If you don't mind, we'd like to come by on occasion and see how Mio's doing. In a way... she's like our own family, due to being made from our own sacrifices." She requested._

 _"Just no more threats, for good reasons or not?" Shinji requested._

 _"Deal." Ellen promised._

* * *

To say everyone was surprised by some of what they heard was an understatement, especially since Westcott didn't match his past self's expressions when sharing them.

"Anyways, back to the present? We noticed Mio's emotions usually came out in a calm manner." He stated.

"I'm guessing that relates to why Mio doesn't have any Maryoku traces in her?" Shiizaki assumed.

"You'd be right. While she can get angry, sad, scared, and things like that? I've never seen her reasons for it being negative. She usually had to truly feel bad about herself, harbor some kind of guilt, or see something happen to the people she cared for." Ellen confirmed.

That left everyone confused.

"As we recently managed to confirm through Mildred, the power of Reiryoku is tied to light and creation, or positive energy in a sense. Maryoku on the other hand is the opposite in every way, so if someone were to lack it..."

Minowa gasped as her eyes sparkled.

"Someone of pure heart, like the princesses and heroes you see in fairy tales!" She exclaimed.

"That's right, Mio is probably the only being in this world with a pure heart, but at the same time? It isn't because she lacks certain emotions, but the reasons for feeling them or the temptations tied to them." Elliot confirmed.

Shiizaki realized something.

"I get it, the others aren't like that. Both exist within them. The Maryoku doesn't need to be in the Sephira Crystals, it just needs to be in them and influence their powers, so if that influence overtakes them..." She stated.

"That's Mildred's theory, seeing as Origami's memory of her death and Tohka's initial experiences let their negative emotions take over." Westcott stated.

At that moment, his ringtone went off.

"Sorry, excuse me." Westcott said, holding his finger up.

He opened his phone.

"Hello?" He answered.

Once the caller replied, he gave an annoyed groan that let Ellen and Elliot know the identity of the _callers_ , making them do the same.

"Yes, and thank you for that colorful vocabulary. Just get to the point of this call." Westcott sighed.

As they continued, his face suddenly paled before going blue with worry, making everyone gave scared looks at what he just heard to give what was such an unusual reaction for him.

"Wait, what!? But we don't... can't you just-"

That was when they chose to hang up, making him slowly turn his head to Elliot and Ellen like a malfunctioning machine.

"I'm not sure we want to hear what you have to tell us." Ellen guessed.

"You don't, but it's also better to hear it, because... _they're_ arriving _early_." Westcott revealed.

And with that, everyone in DEM paused and nearly jumped out of their skin as they heard Elliot and Ellen screaming, with Westcott quickly joining them.

* * *

Finally on the Roller Coaster, a surprise hit Kotori as she didn't show the same worry from when she had been on the Sky Drop, actually giving a normal scream cheer like Shido was as they raced around every way a Roller Coaster was known for.

"This is awesome!" She screamed.

"See? I told you there was nothing to worry about-" He replied.

Shido's words faded as he saw Kotori's face turning green.

"Well, nothing _dangerous_ to worry about..." Shido mentioned, letting out a nervous chuckle.

The ride soon came to an end, with Kotori immediately rushing to a garbage can like a Cheetah.

"Breath mint?" He offered, slightly glancing away.

"Thank you..." She replied, grabbing and eating it.

Running off for a moment to grab her some water, Shido came back with two bottles, both of which she quickly guzzled down as fast as her flames would burn most objects.

"OK, let's take a break from the rides for now..." Kotori begged, still feeling a bit queasy.

"Good thing the next thing on our schedule isn't as bad." Shido smiled, looking a certain direction.

Kotori looked up, only to give a deadpan look as she saw him looking towards the Haunted House, groaning as she put her head over the garbage can again.

"What's wrong this time?" Shido asked, knowing she wasn't emptying her stomach again.

"Shido, why are you making our date nothing but such intense things?" Kotori questioned.

"Oh, well... you had to hold back how you felt for so long. I just felt that maybe it was right for you to experience such situations with me, rather than alone, as a way to make up for it. Not only that, part of me feels I could have done better helping you find courage beyond giving you your ribbons." He replied, rubbing his arm slightly.

Her eyes widened at that, surprised by the answer he gave.

"Don't feel bad. I was the one who never told you or understood you already knew, much less why you never acknowledged that fact. All that cost me was being first." Kotori reassured him, rubbing his back.

Shido smiled at that, placing a hand on her back.

"And for saying you didn't do good enough in helping me find courage? You must be blind, because these black ribbons... they always reminded me of Karate. White belts meant you were weak, so when I had this, it made me see you saw more than I could, and I just had to earn it. Maybe I still haven't hit black, but... one day I can, and now I think you've given me the means to do that." She continued, smiling a bit.

"And I doubt anyone could have been a better best friend to me all those years than you did." He stated, smiling back.

They hugged each other.

"Come on, let's get in that Haunted House and get ourselves scare silly." Kotori declared.

"Really?" Shido replied.

"Yep, since you did plan most of the date. Just promise me that I can pick what do next?" She nodded, winking a bit.

He chuckled at that.

"Alright, that's fair." Shido agreed, holding his arm out.

* * *

Rinne hummed a bit as she walked through the shopping distract, buying some fresh produce. While walking through the many shops, she noticed one selling some tomatoes looking a bit sad.

"Excuse me sir, what's wrong?" She asked.

"My old tomato plants died last week, and it happened beyond my control. I did plant some new ones, but... they still need time to grow, and now I'm worried about paying my bills." The shopkeeper sighed.

Hearing that, Rinne smiled and held a hand out.

"I can lend you a hand there. Mind if I see the plants that are still budding, as well as the dead ones if you haven't gotten rid of them?" She offered.

He gave a confused look.

"You'll understand what I mean in a moment." Rinne smiled, closing her eyes as she did.

"Alright, guess I don't really have anything to lose at this point." The shopkeeper shrugged.

Taking the dead plants and newly seeded pots out, Rinne held her hand out before activating her Reiryoku ability, giving life to the dead Tomato Plants while making the new tomatoes bloom instantly.

The shopkeeper stared before looking at her smiling face, right as some incredibly ripe and fresh tomatoes popped into view.

"My Seirei Ability has power over plants, so now you have more than enough produce." She smiled.

"Whoa... thank you! As thanks for helping me out, feel free to take all of the Tomatoes from any one plant." He replied, bowing in thanks.

"Thank you." Rinne replied, showing the same courtesy.

Getting a whole plant's worth of tomatoes, Rinne continued on with her shopping, and as she did...

"Hey Rinne!"

Turning around, she smiled as she saw Tohka run up to her.

"Nice to see you Tohka." Rinne greeted.

"Same here, are you shopping right now?" Tohka greeted back, noticing the bags in her hands.

"I am." She confirmed.

Looking at her bags, she noticed only fruits and vegetables were inside.

"Are you a vegetarian or something?" Tohka inquired.

"Vegan actually. Not sure if it's a side effect of my Seirei Ability, but eating meat always makes me feel nauseous." Rinne confirmed.

Her stomach growled oddly, though more to confirm her words than showing hunger, based on her expression.

"Oh, is this one of those weak stomach things?" Tohka realized.

"It... might be? Main point is meat doesn't agree with me." She answered.

Tohka gave an awkward chuckle.

"May I know why you're here?" Rinne inquired, switching the topic.

"Just finished doing something I don't want to spoil, along with waiting for Shido and Kotori to come back home from their date." Tohka answered.

"Oh yeah, didn't you tell me you just started dating Shido and had a date this Friday?" Rinne recalled.

"Yeah, Kotori's the one having a date today since she's known him longest, while tomorrow is Origami's date since she's known him much longer than I have." Tohka nodded.

Rinne smiled at that.

"Glad you're feeling good, wish I could say the same for Saya right now." She mentioned.

"Why, what's wrong with her?" Tohka asked.

"Not sure, but... it almost feels like something's recently weighing on her mind. I walked in on her nearly crying the other day while trying to help her with her Council work." Rinne explained.

That caught Tohka by surprise, as that sounded nothing like Saya.

'How could Rinne have seen that? Is it a private thing or something? Actually, now that I think about it, back when I was stalking Mio when Origami and Kotori had yet to discover their powers...' She though, recalling a few things.

It didn't really click with her at the time, but she looked at Mio as if she knew something, or was expecting something. Was this related to her ties in DEM?

As her thoughts kept rolling, a photo hit her in the face, surprising Rinne.

"Where'd this come from?" Tohka questioned.

Gently pulling it off her face, she saw the image of a younger Saya, hugging a girl with black hair in low twin tails and red eyes. Between their hug was the sight of a pair of kittens, which Tohka assumed belonged to each of them.

"I don't recognize this girl." She remarked.

"Oh no, where'd it go!?" Saya panicked.

Tohka and Rinne flinched at that, with the former sweating as she motioned the picture to make it seem like she found it _without_ looking at it.

And right on time, as Saya ran into the area looking for the very image, noticing Tohka was holding it.

"Please tell me you didn't look at that." She asked nervously.

"Nope, although I nearly did to see who it may belong to, so you're lucky you shouted when you did." Tohka replied, barely keeping a good poker face.

"Glad you didn't." Saya sighed happily.

Tohka handed her back the photo, which she pocketed into the safety of her wallet.

"I'd... rather not go too deep into it, but this photo is for me what your ribbon is for you." Saya admitted, looking to the side.

And that's when Rinne noticed a brief oddity in her smile, right before she and Tohka watched her run off without any warning.

'For that one moment, it seemed like when I walked in on her... could it be?' Rinne thought.

Tohka chuckled oddly and looked at Rinne.

"Hey, would you like to come over to Shido's house tonight? Their date's ending with dinner and you haven't really met them beyond saying hi." She suggested.

"Sure thing. I'll even bring some of my food over in case I'll need it." Rinne agreed, smiling at her.

The two continued walking, with Tohka now helping Rinne gather the rest of her groceries she needed before dinner came.

* * *

Back with Shido and Kotori, the sound of hurling could be heard as Shido was bent over a garbage bin, with Kotori pointing her finger at him as she laughed. How did they get here? Well...

They went into the Haunted House like planned, where Kotori kept hugging her chest into his arm out of either genuine or fake fear.

After they got out, it was time for Kotori to finally pick the next ride like he promised her, but Shido quickly found out this was partly to get some small revenge on him by choosing the Bumper Car Race to smash her car into him over and over again. The fact everyone around the track could see it and was laughing at him made it even worse.

"I feel better now!" Kotori laughed, holding onto her stomach.

"Yeah, yeah... I get it. This was to get even with me." Shido panted, having finally emptied his stomach out.

He sat at a bench, needing to rest.

"Can you go get me a water real quick?" He asked, groaning a bit as his stomach tried to settle.

Sniffing the air around them, Kotori nearly gagged at the horrid smell before nodding her head.

"Yeah, because now I know why you gave me one." She nodded.

Grabbing a spare breath mint he had, Shido ate it as Kotori went to get a water before walking back, giving it to Shido as he guzzled it down.

"So, where to after this?" Kotori asked.

"The market. As dates often include dinner or a movie, I asked mom to let you pick what we're having for dinner tonight." Shido answered.

"Yes!" Kotori exclaimed, throwing both of her fists into the air.

Shido chuckled at her reaction, before deciding to ask something.

"Hey, Kotori? I need to ask... how did you find your Sephira Crystal on the day of the Tenguu Fire?" He questioned.

She paused at that, looking at him in surprise.

"Why are you asking me that?" Kotori questioned.

"Just kind of curious. We know you found the Camael Crystal, but you never really mentioned _how_ you found it. I'm planning to ask Miku and Origami about the same thing when I have the time." Shido answered.

A moment passed by before Kotori sat by Shido, letting out a deep sigh before closing her eyes.

"That's... probably the most interesting part of the story." She admitted, recalling that fateful day.

* * *

 _Kotori was seen standing around part of Tenguu City, a sad look in her eyes due to Shido's parents telling her that her parents wouldn't be home due to work._

 _"Guess I shouldn't have expected much for a mere 10th birthday..." She remarked._

 ** _"What's wrong young one? You seem upset over something."_** _Phantom questioned._

 _Kotori's eyes widened as she looked around, eventually coming face to face with the Avatar of Ain, yet that shouldn't have been possible due to Mio still having another five years of time to travel through._

 _Strangely enough, her noise was currently taking the form of a silhouette resembling Mio's form, rather than the less definitive one Shido first met her in._

 _"Who are you!?" Kotori panicked._

 ** _"Don't be alarmed, I'm just very shy and have a Seirei Ability that lets me hide myself from everyone I don't want to see me."_** _Phantom reassured her._

 _"Oh..." Kotori replied, still feeling nervous._

 _She slightly rubbed her leg against the ground._

 _"Well, today's my birthday, but my parents won't be home because of their jobs. I'm not feeling very excited because of that." Kotori confessed._

 _ **"Ah, I see. Though something tells me this isn't the only thing that's bothering you."** Phantom replied._

 _"Yeah, there's been... a bit of trouble I've been into with some bullies. I'm too afraid to tell anyone about them because I already feel too cowardly and weak right now." Kotori continued, tearing up a bit._

 _At that moment, Phantom held her hand out._

 _Kotori looked to see a red gem being held out to her, making her eyes widen at how shiny and big it was._

 ** _"This might not be much, but consider it a birthday present."_** _Phantom smiled, sensing Camael's desire._

 _"Are you sure? This gem seems kind of valuable." Kotori asked._

 ** _"Sometimes an object only shows its true value in the hands of another, and I get the feeling this gem wants to be with you."_** _Phantom answered._

 _Despite not understanding what that meant, Kotori held her hand out as Phantom placed the Camael Crystal onto it._

 ** _"Happy Birthday to you, Kotori Itsuka."_** _Phantom smiled._

 _Kotori's eyes widened as she heard her name, but Phantom had already disappeared before she could. Kotori could only stare in shock as her mind tried to determine when she could have said her name._

 _There was none._

 _'How did she know my name? Am I crazy, or did she choose to meet me here and give me this gem on purpose?' She questioned._

 _Looking at the gem more closely, making her notice it had a hexagonal cut, making it similar in shape to an ember of a flame._

 _"Still, it doesn't seem like this gem is anything odd." Kotori remarked, holding it near her eye._

 _"I'll take that!"_

 _Kotori was knocked to the ground as a couple of bullies swiped it from her._

 _"H-Hey!" Kotori shouted._

 _Another of the bullies pushed her back down, with their leader looking at the Camael Crystal before making a faked look of disgust._

 _"You call this thing a gem? This is just trash!" He laughed._

 _He threw the gem far away, making Kotori tear up as it flew off._

 _What none of them realized is that this one action would be anything but harmless, as the crystal hit the worst thing it could, releasing a small spark upon striking it._

 _*"BOOM!"*_

 _A pillar of Reiryoku empowered flames shot into the sky, sending fireballs across the city as the dread Tenguu Fire began. Kotori stared in horror as the bullies tried to run off, only to be caught in the flames, with the Camael Crystal bouncing back to her side._

 _From that moment on, Kotori stayed where she was, unable to do anything but cry and call for Shido, setting the chain of events that led to her revival as the Flame Spirit._

* * *

Opening her eyes as she finished recalling the story, Shido's eyes shook in disbelief.

"That doesn't make any sense... how was Phantom there?" He questioned.

"Who?" Kotori questioned.

Shido blinked a bit, then widened his eyes as he remembered his two meetings with Phantom were unknown to everyone. This was especially the case with Mio, as he had no idea if the two had made contact since she regained her ability to use Ain's power.

"Promise me that you won't tell anyone, especially Mio?" Shido begged.

"Uh... OK?" Kotori agreed, albeit looking confused.

"Thank you." He sighed in relief.

Clearing his throat and regaining his composure, he looked Kotori in the eyes.

"Phantom is for Ain what Aura and Sophie are for the rest of Mio's Angels." Shido revealed.

"She's the Avatar of Ain?" Kotori asked in surprise.

"Yeah, and the one who gave me my Angel back when Ekenor was still tied to it. The next time I met her was just a few days ago. She showed me what I really look like, and I'm certain Mio doesn't know what her real form is, not to mention I'm not even sure if she's spoken with her like Aura and Sophie have." Shido confirmed.

Hearing that, Kotori sweated a bit.

"How is that possible? Aura didn't appear until a while after you siphoned Tohka's Reiryoku, and Sophie didn't appear until after you did the same for Origami." She questioned.

"That's what I just noticed after this story. Not only that, she met you with a more visible noise that made it clear you were meeting a girl, while I could barely make out it held a person when I first met her." Shido answered, mentioning his own experience.

"And... what does Phantom really look like?" Kotori asked.

"She looks like... Reine Murasame, the Aunt of Ellen's who was the DNA basis that created Mio." Shido revealed.

Kotori gasped once she heard that.

She had been confused about why Shido made her promise not to say anything before, but after hearing that? It was no wonder he didn't want his main girlfriend to know.

'I thought that I could trust her before, but now... just what is Phantom doing?' Shido questioned.

"Don't worry, I promise this will stay between us. Especially while this confusion is around." Kotori promised.

"Thank you." He smiled.

Standing up, Shido offered a hand to her.

"Now, let's go get dinner set up." Shido suggested.

"Right." Kotori replied, taking his hand.

Both of them stood up as they began heading towards the supermarket, unaware of a certain someone they were just talking about looking at them from the sky.

* * *

Yoshino finished up her work at the shrine, letting out a sigh of relief as she sat down for a moment.

"I didn't think the shrine could get this dirty so quickly..." She panted.

At that moment, she went to grab her backpack, only for it to spill over again, making her panic a little as she gathered everything.

"Seriously, why does this keep... happening..."

Yoshino's voice slowly disappeared as she saw the Zadkiel Crystal, marveling at its teardrop shape as she did.

"When did I get this?" Yoshino wondered aloud, holding it in her hands.

"Hey, Yoshino!"

She jumped at that, dropping it back into her bag as she turned around, seeing Mikie waving to her.

"O-Oh! Hey there Mikie!" Yoshino replied, sweating a bit.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I just had some big news you might want to hear about." Mikie apologized, walking closer to her.

"Really? What is it?" Yoshino inquired.

"Well..."

Whispering the news in her ear, Yoshino covered her mouth and gave a silent gasp at what was the answer to the Hermetic Trio's coming duo.

* * *

Shido was seen walking with Kotori through Tenguu Market, with Kotori currently holding up a certain brand of minced meat towards Shido.

"This the kind we need?" She asked.

"Yep, just the kind." He confirmed.

Kotori placed it in the kart before they continued through the market aisles.

"We haven't done this for a long time, haven't we?" Kotori recalled.

"Yeah, last time was... I think it was 8 years ago?" Shido replied, unsure how long it had really been.

As he said that, Kotori gasped and ran over to the lollipop stand.

"They have new flavors!" She cheered, grabbing all of said flavors.

Shido blinked before giving a playful laugh, right around the same time as young woman with black hair and black eyes walked in. She was holding onto the handles of a wheelchair, showing a girl with ginger hair and closed eyes, showing she was both paralyzed and blind.

Kotori turned around and noticed them, gasping at the AST members she recognized as Leonora Sears for the one with black hair, and Cecile O'Brien for the one in the wheelchair.

"L-Leonora, and Cecile! I didn't know you two were here" She stuttered.

"Oh Kotori, you can be so adorable at time." Cecile giggled at her reaction.

Kotori blushed at that, trying not to act like a fan girl after hearing that, making Shido chuckled and pat her head to relax her. Luckily, it succeeded as she relaxed into a smile.

"I'm guessing Cecile's on break today?" He asked.

"Yeah. While she can't instantly heal it like with Ellen's body, I'm glad Mio has been able to help her and Mr. Westcott recover from their respective injuries." Leonora confirmed.

Shido had trouble believing it at times due to how he never showed any difficulties with his vision, but it was still a surprise when he found out Westcott had been blind for quite some time, which he probably should have realized after noticing his eyes didn't reflect light.

He had been using a Realizer to heal his eyes just enough to regain his vision, and even then, it wasn't a permanent solution as Cecile needed the same kind of Realizer in her Wiring Suit and CR-Unit to both see _and_ walk due to damage she suffered as a _very_ fortunate victim of a Spacequake.

"Do you have an estimate until the healing is finished?" Kotori asked.

"Mio couldn't give us an estimate. Healing an injury like this isn't like the healing she can normally do, not unlike how your healing is limited to your stamina." Cecile replied.

Kotori nodded her head, remembering how the battle with Alice jad pushed that power to its limits.

"Anyways, it looks like you two are getting a dinner date set up?" Leonora guessed.

"We are, so... we should probably get everything else before this all spoils. See you next time a Spirit shows up, or for any other reason." Shido replied, chuckling a bit.

Shido turned the cart, while Kotori waved goodbye to the duo.

* * *

As Tohka and Rinne headed back towards the former's neighborhood, a bunch of grocery bags could be seen in Tohka's hands.

"Are you sure you don't need me to carry some of those?" Rinne asked.

"No worries, I've got super strength. This is still fairly light to me." Tohka reassured her.

"Seems like being a Spirit is no different from winning the jackpot in one of those game shows." Rinne giggled.

"You think so?" Tohka asked.

By the time they reached Nankou, the sight of Shido and Kotori in the kitchen could already be seen as Mio, Origami, and Miku could be seen peeking through the door to watch them prepare.

Tohka and Rinne soon walked in, noticing this.

"What are you all doing?" Tohka questioned.

"Look through the door and find out." Mio answered, not budging in the slightest.

Both of them poked their heads above their own, seeing the magic that was happening.

Kotori was shaping the meat and Shido cutting up ingredients.

"That smells so... good! I should have... realized that having Mana as a mother meant... that Shido knew how to cook!" Tohka remarked, pausing to slurp some drool back in a few times.

"I've seen Shiori make gourmet food a few times, and now I know who she learned it from." Miku giggled.

"It's true. Our mom taught us cooking, and dad helped us learn about tech." Shiori confirmed.

Kotori turned around at that moment.

"Look at this Shido!" She exclaimed.

He turned to see it was a steak shaped as what he assumed was a Tanuki.

"Nice Tanuki." He praised.

"It's a bunny..." Kotori corrected, giving him a deadpan stare.

"Oh, sorry about that." Shido apologized, rubbing his head.

He added it to the pan shortly after, right as the door opened up, showing none other than Yoshino walking into the house.

Her casual attire was revealed to have her signature hat, paired with a white dress with three ruffled layers, a light blue coat extension over it with a blue rose. She also had long jean shorts, and brown boots with blue flower designs on the side.

"Um... excuse me?" Yoshino greeted, trying to get their attention.

All of them turned in surprise, with none of them recognizing Kotori's classmate due to none of them being Freshman at Rindouji.

"Who are you?" Origami asked.

"My name's Yoshino, I'm a classmate of Kotori's. She... invited me over for dinner." Yoshino replied.

"Oh yeah, then welcome." Shiori greeted.

*"DING!"*

Shido tapped the edge of the frying pan, causing all the steaks to go flying before he held out some plated and slowly moved his arms to catch them all.

Everyone looked in amazement, with Yoshino clapping a bit.

"Come on in everyone, we made plenty." Shido called, despite already knowing they were at the door.

"Yummy!" Mio exclaimed.

Shido laughed as she rushed towards the table, giving her a plate stacked with plenty of Hamburger Steaks. The others quickly joined, with Shido showing surprise at Rinne's presence.

"I invited her over, sorry I didn't give you a heads up." Tohka apologized.

"That's alright, you're still getting into the swing of things." Shido reassured her.

"Oh, and can you make something Vegan for Rinne? She can't seem to stomach any kind of meat." Tohka mentioned, scratching the back of her head.

He blinked a bit, with Rinne holding up some of her groceries.

"Alright, I can whip up a quick stir fry for you." Shido smiled.

While everyone went to the table, Kotori brought her and Shido's plates to the sofa area, both of theirs being bunnies. It didn't take long for Shido to finish Rinne's veggie stir fry and place it before her.

"Thank you for the food!" Everyone said.

Rinne and Yoshino, the only two who hadn't tried any of the Takamiya Family's food before, each took a bite.

"Yum!" Rinne praised.

Yoshino turned around and bounced in her chair a bit, rocking it a few times, which confused everyone. This ended when she turned back and gave a thumb's up, only to make everyone briefly shudder as they felt their Reiryoku vanish for a brief moment.

"Sorry!" She apologized.

"What... was that?" Mio asked, still feeling her eyes spin around.

"That was my Seirei Ability, which I still can't fully control... it negates all of the Reiryoku within a small area." Yoshino revealed.

Everyone's eyes widened at that.

"Whoa, I have an ability like that, but it only works on a single person." Shido remarked.

"Seems like you can only use it when you get overly emotional?" Kotori guessed.

Yoshino nodded, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh yeah, Shido? There's something I need to tell you about Miku... after you watch this video I recorded." Mio mentioned, taking her phone out.

Miku paled a bit, soon screaming in horror at what she just heard.

* * *

 **That's it for Kotori's date. We learned a lot, and S3 of the anime did influence a few things, such as me deciding each Sephira Crystal has its own shape, but more than that... it seems that _Phantom_ was the one who gave Kotori her Sephira Crystal! Not only has her loyalty to Mio come into question, but as Shido and Kotori themselves said? How was she even able to be there when Mio was still traveling through time?**

 **Miku got a little too friendly with Kotori and Mio as well, which has been shown on an illustration with Tohka, and recently in the anime with both of the Yamai twins. Luckily, it seems the others have blackmailed her into doing something in exchange for letting her continue to do this... which I'll show you in the next chapter. *giggles* For now, let's just say Mio's punishment fits the weight of her offered reward.**

 **Also, now you know what kind of injury Westcott got, and he was rendered blind! Around the time of following Mio, he was using spare magic to see, and when that ran out? He was fully blind until Ellen helped him create Realizer technology, and like with Cecile in canon... it isn't a permanent solution. Main reason I chose this is because aside from making him sound impressive, Cecile's eyes are described to reflect no light due to her blindness, just like his.**

 **Anyways, fitting of Kotori having been Shido's best friend for some time? She's now the one person Shido's entrusted all his knowledge of Phantom to. He might find more answers about her in his date with Origami, and depending on what they are... they either have a mole for the DeNA among them, Phantom's working on her own terms as a third party, or something else that benefits their side. Whatever's going on, Phantom's watching them.**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	13. Thunderous Thursday

**Alright everyone, here's the second of three chapters I promised for March! We showed Kotori's date last chapter, and now it's time for Origami to have her turn. Only downside? While it will mostly be fun, Origami is also quite the nervous wreck, and that's not going to help her when Shido's already concerned about the incoming question about how she got the Metatron Crystal.**

 **Last chapter really threw things astray by bringing into question where Phantom's loyalties lie, as we now know she gave the Camael Crystal to Kotori, who until now had been implied to have simply found it. There's no guarantee she did this with the others, but Shido has less reason to trust her anymore, a fact that's only made worse by the fact he doesn't know if Phantom's spoken to Mio... meaning it's too risky to ask her about it.**

 **That aside, I think you'll like how this date goes, since for as awkward and nervous Origami could get? You'll see a few things cute and adorable happen with her as well. Not to mention you'll be seeing a flashback of what Mio and the others made Miku do for her "massage permissions" last chapter, which will hopefully at least make you all chuckle if it doesn't make you laugh.**

 **There's also going to be a few scenes showing development on the Spirits' abilities. It just hit me that after realizing how different Miku's powers are, Mio needs to let the others know they may still have a few tricks up their sleeves they don't even know about themselves. For what you'll see? I'll leave that a secret, but there is one thing related to that I'll make clear in this chapter, since I've never really elaborated on it before now.**

 **One more thing I need to mention? I just realized a small hiccup in how I worded part of Chapter 10's start notes, so I should clarify that mistake before you read any further. While I said that no more Spirits will appear for a while and you should expect them to only appear one by one after? I meant that in the sense of the girls once they were Spirits, not while still Human, which is why Yoshino's been getting a few scenes recently.**

 **Now, with that little hiccup removed? Let's get this chapter started!**

* * *

 **[Chapter 13 - Thunderous Thursday]**

In Miku's class, everyone saw the Spirit Idol lying on her desk, giving a funny anime cry as she did. Rolling her wheelchair over, Cecile began tapping Miku's shoulder.

"Did something happen? What's wrong?" Cecile asked.

"Leave me... my pride is in shambles." Miku replied.

Cecile tilted her head in confusion, leaving her and the rest of her class unaware of what left her in such a strange state.

And Miku preferred it that way, because she couldn't let any of them find out the horror she had to endure the other day.

'I'm so horrified that Shido saw me like that!' She thought.

* * *

 _Mio held out her phone in front of Shido._

 _"Oh yeah, Shido? There's something I need to tell you about Miku... after you watch this video I recorded." Mio mentioned, giggling as she swung it a little._

 _"Wait, what!?" Miku panicked, paling in horror as she saw the video on it._

 _She, Tohka, Origami all began giggling in response, with Shiori looking interested._

 _"Did you honestly think we weren't going to let Shido see this? It wouldn't be a real punishment if we didn't record it for him to see, and now that he's here to watch it..." Mio replied, wagging her finger._

 _Miku screamed in horror, with Tohka holding her back as she struggled to reach for Mio's phone._

 _"I'll do anything! Just please, don't show him!" She begged, nearly crying as she kept reaching out._

 _"What's going on here?" Shido asked._

 _"Oh, nothing much. Miku just went a bit far while massaging Kotori for your date and Mio after she wanted one, so they made an agreement I'll explain to you later. For right now? This is video is part of the punishment she has to endure, so enjoy what's on it." Shiori explained._

 _Shido blinked, but simply shrugged as he tapped the play button._

 _"NO!" Miku screamed._

 _Shido watched as he saw Miku wearing a fairly sexy bikini that was intentionally a bit small on her, making her blush a bit. Shido ended up getting a nosebleed once he saw it. A few seconds passed until the camera moved away from Miku, showing her standing on a field of mud._

 _"A-Are you sure this is necessary?" Miku asked._

 _"Sorry, but you know our agreement. Now slide into that mud like you mean it!" Tohka shouted._

 _Miku whimpered at that._

 _Taking a deep breath, she slid across the mud belly first, screaming as the mud splattered on her. Everyone was heard laughing as she came to a stop, soon standing on her feet before screaming a bit._

 _"Why is she-" Shido asked._

 _"You'll see." Mio giggled._

 _Putting his focus back on the video, a bunch of worms were seen crawling across Miku's body, prompting her to move her arm and try brushing them off._

 _"Don't even try it, you're keeping those worms on you." Origami warned._

 _"W-What!?" She screamed._

 _"Now, for the finishing touch? Help this prince regain his true form." Mio stated, struggling not to laugh._

 _And then came the cherry on top..._ _Mio brought a frog in front of her, making Miku go completely white, right as Mio and the others completely lost it and began to laugh like maniacs._

 _Their laughter was so loud, Shido almost couldn't hear anything else in the video._

 _"Wait, you made her..." Yoshino realized, her cheeks puffed as she tried holding back her laughter._

 _"Oh god... oh god!" Miku groaned, turning a bit green._

 _"Now pucker up, you are the princess he needs a kiss from." Tohka sang, snickering a little._

 _Miku shakily reached for the frog, and then took a deep breath._

 _Shido soon began laughing as the sound of a smooch was heard, followed by Miku gagging from the frog slime that briefly stuck to it, making everyone else do the same. Miku whimpered before laying on the table._

 _"My pride... you've destroyed my pride..." She sniffled, entering the position she was currently in at school._

 _Shido patted her back._

* * *

As Miku continued to sulk where she was, Saya walked in at that moment to see her... situation.

"What happened to her?" She asked.

"None of us know..." Cecile answered.

Scratching her head for a brief moment, Saya shrugged before turning around and motioning her hand.

"Not the strangest thing I've ever seen... though regardless of why she's sulking? Mio needs all the Spirits on the roof for free period, so someone will need to ether snap her out of it or carry her up there." She explained.

With that, she headed back to the Student Council's office, leaving Cecile to sigh as she turned to her classmates.

"Can I get help putting her on my wheelchair? I'll take her up." She requested.

Two boys walked over and picked Miku up, mentally shouting at the opportunity they were given, then put her on Cecile's wheelchair. She winced a bit as Miku ended up being heavier than expected.

After that was done, she began driving her wheelchair towards the elevator.

* * *

On the rooftop, Mio was seen as Origami and Tohka quickly ran into view.

"Alright, Shido promised to help with my Class Rep work before he comes up and join us, so until then... what did you need us for?" Origami asked.

"Did we get something about a DeNA threat?" Tohka questioned.

"Thanks for telling me Origami, and no Tohka, there hasn't been anything related to the DeNA. You'd have heard an alarm if that was the case." Mio answered.

Tohka blushed as she remembered about that particular detail.

Kotori immediately ran out the door, nearly slipping and falling over from how fast she ran, then taking deep breaths once she managed to stop.

"Did I miss anything?" She asked.

"No, and... did you actually run from the First Floor to here in just two minutes?" Tohka questioned.

"Wasn't timing myself, so I have no idea..." Kotori shrugged.

Cecile soon appeared through the elevator, panting a bit before rolling Miku off her wheelchair and looking at the group, pointing at the still sulking Idol.

"Here... now if you'll... excuse me..." She panted.

Driving her wheelchair back into the elevator, Cecile returned to class as everyone briefly watched Miku's current position.

"Did she not even sleep last night? I mean... we saw her walk to school, but the fact someone had to carry her here?" Mio asked.

Walking over to her, Tohka poked her stomach with her finger.

"Let me try, I have an idea that might work." Origami suggested.

Kneeling by Miku's side, Origami lowered herself near her left ear, taking a deep breath as the others all covered their ears.

"Shido and Shiori have said they'll consider a group date with you if you stop sulking." Origami whispered.

"Really!?" Miku gasped, finally back to normal.

Everyone stared in shock over the fact it not only worked, but the fact Origami whispered when it looked like she was about to shout.

"She's good." Kotori praised.

Mio released a playful giggle before looking at everyone, clearing her throat to get her attention.

"Although Shido and Shiori aren't here yet, we have all the people I definitely wanted here now, so let me talk about why I asked everyone here." She stated.

Everyone quickly lined up, making her blink briefly.

"Uh... anyways, the reason I needed you all here is because ever since Miku's powers showed how different they are from the other Spirits we've found so far? I'm thinking we need to consider how much of your powers the rest of you have all used." Mio explained.

"What do you mean?" Tohka asked.

"What I mean is that there may still be more to you, Origami, and Kotori's powers beyond what you've already used. Take Kotori for example... how did you know about Megiddo to first use it?" Mio explained, turning to Kotori.

Upon being asked that, Kotori went silent for a moment, which is when she realized her answer.

She didn't, it just... happened.

"No, not at all. I didn't really question it after I first used it since by then I just knew how." Kotori admitted, now realizing she accessed it by mere coincidence.

"So, what you're saying is we might have more abilities than we're even aware of?" Origami summarized.

Mio nodded before looking at Tohka, causing her to tilt her head with a confused expression on her face.

"Tohka, can you manifest Sandalphon for me? I think there's one hidden feature of your Angel that I've managed to discover." Mio requested.

"Uh... sure?" Tohka agreed.

Everyone moved out of the way to make room as Tohka formed her Astral Dress, then quickly smashed her fist into the ground.

 **"Sandalphon!"**

Pulling out Sandalphon from the throne that acted as its scabbard, everyone saw Mio walk over to it. Tohka blinked a few times as the Senior Spirit tried to find something.

"Hmm... alright, let's see if I'm right about this." Mio remarked.

She kicked against the throne, causing it to shift and reshape itself into some kind of vehicle. This caused her fellow Spirits to gasp in surprise.

"Called it." She smiled.

"I didn't know my throne could do that! How'd you figure this out!?" Tohka exclaimed.

"Just by how odd some of the line movements and decor on the throne looked. It made me wonder if, because of how you use it for your Halvanhelev attack, it may be some kind of support mechanism. A vehicle was just the one way I saw it could work as this." Mio explained.

Origami thought for a moment, remembering how her Angel mainly worked by altering the formation of its pillars. Was there more to that than even she realized?

"Is there anything else about our powers you can suggest besides Tohka's throne?" She asked.

"Hmm... well, I think there's one that you might be able to do. It's something that the only Avatar of my Angels you haven't met is capable of doing." Mio replied.

Those words caused Kotori to briefly flinch. Lucky for her, no one saw it.

"Since Ain doesn't have a physical form like my other Angels, being a manifestation of a void, the Avatar linked to it is similarly invisible to an extent. I believe this comes from an absence of light." Mio explained.

"And since my elemental affinity is Light, you think I could make myself invisible, albeit more freely?" Origami assumed.

"That's right, so why don't you give it a try?" Mio nodded, smiling at her.

Origami blinked a bit, which is when Mio gave an embarrassed blush, realizing she didn't know how to actually use her light powers to create the invisibility.

"Right, you need to coat yourself with photon particles and then shift how they reflect light. Think of it like making your whole body a mirror." She clarified.

"That I understand." Origami nodded.

She took a deep breath as she coated some light around her body, right as the door opened to show Shido and Shiori walking in.

Unfortunately, the timing couldn't have been worse.

"Whoa!" Shido exclaimed, blushing as he looked away.

"What? What's wrong Shido?" Origami asked, unaware of the problem everyone else was currently seeing.

"Eh... look down." Mio suggested, turning away in embarrassment.

Origami blinked before she did just that, soon becoming redder than a tomato as she realized the only thing she made invisible was all of her clothes _except_ for her underwear! She immediately screamed as she knelt down and hugged herself for cover.

"Why'd it only work on my outer clothes!? That's not how this should work!" She asked, horrified that Shido had seen her like this.

"Do any of our powers follow normal logic and physics in certain areas?" Mio reminded her.

"M-Maybe you should turn invisible first so I can see how it works firsthand?" Origami suggested.

Mio raised an eye in confusion, but quickly realized what she meant after remembering how she got her powers back when fighting Alice, along with how her Astral Dress had the _Sephira Ring_ as she named it when she had it visible.

"I need to apologize for never explaining that to all of you. While I may have created all of your powers, the elemental affinities they have all come from the Earth itself, not from me. That means everything about your powers is exclusive to you." She clarified.

Origami whimpered at that.

"Hey, don't freak out. Just... try refracting the light differently." Mio reassured her.

"A-Alright." Origami sighed.

Manipulating the light again, her clothes reappeared, but the rest of her was now invisible. Everyone blinked as Origami looked at herself.

"Well, at least you can't see my underwear anymore." She sighed, partially relieved.

Trying once again, she manipulated the light and everything besides her head disappeared.

"Really!?"

Decided to give it one more go, she focused until finally... only her head was still visible, making everyone struggle not to laugh as their cheeks swelled. Sighing in defeat, Origami dispelled the light around her and became fully visible.

"So, what did we miss?" Shido asked.

"Just me explaining how I began thinking there was more to everyone's powers, me showing Tohka's throne could become a vehicle, and a mention of Ain's Avatar." Mio answered.

Shido managed to keep a strong poker face at Phantom's mention, nodding his head.

"Ah, here's an idea. Why don't we see a small duel between two of you? Mio could use Ain Soph to make it so no one would take any true damage and it would be a good way to get some practice that might help on expanding your abilities." Shiori suggested.

"Hmm... that actually seems like a good idea. Especially since Miku still hasn't been in a real battle like the rest of us." Kotori mentioned, nodding her head.

"OK, but how do we decide which two will be doing it? I'm not exactly in a hurry to volunteer myself." Miku asked.

Mio tapped her chin before an idea hit her.

"I have an idea, just give me a moment to get it ready." She smiled.

* * *

Back at the Takamiya House, the sight of Mana and Shinji could be seen as they did household chores and blueprint designing respectively.

As Shinji was doing his work, a letter icon popped up to show he got a message.

"Oh? What's this?" He wondered.

Clicking on it, he saw a so-called warning from Westcott about the duo that was soon to visit, making him stare a bit before laughing. Said laughter caught his wife's attention, making her raise an eye.

"What's so funny, dear?" Mana asked, lacking the context she'd be laughing at if she saw it.

"Normally I'd tell you, but it'll be funnier if you read the message I just got." Shinji giggled.

Deciding to do just that, she walked over.

It only took a few seconds before her cheeks suddenly puffed up and she began laughing so hard, she ended up kneeling over and held her stomach.

"To think out of everything in the world, those three are most terrified of their own-" Mana laughed.

Her laughter overtook her before she could finish that sentence, with Shinji doing the same as both of them fell on the floor laughing for what would likely be a lengthy period of time.

* * *

Using her powers, Mio created a bunch of straws and a cup to put them in.

"Two of these sticks are colored red at the bottom, the two who draw them will be the ones having the duel." Mio stated.

"Alright, that seems fair enough." Kotori replied.

Shuffling them around with closed eyes, Mio held out the sticks as each Spirit grabbed one.

They all held the tips up, showing it was Tohka and Origami who had drawn the lucky sticks.

"Origami and Tohka, huh? Interesting matchup." Shiori remarked.

"Yeah... this reminds me of how I first met everyone." Tohka chuckled, remembering her fight with Origami's Inverse Form.

Shiori looked at her at that, making Shido and Mio laugh.

"I'll explain latter." Shido promised.

Mio formed her Astral Dress at that moment, summoning Ain Soph's form as the rooftop area became a special battlefield. After doing this, she drew a timer with Reiryoku.

"You'll be fighting for 3 minutes, and you'll begin on my signal." Mio stated.

They both nodded, with Origami using the moment to form her Astral Dress.

"BEGIN!"

With that, the timer began counting down.

 **[** **Date A Live II: Hurricane** **]**

Right as it did, Tohka rushed ahead and swung an energy wave at Origami, who quickly teleported out of danger. Briefly glancing towards one spot, Tohka stomped the ground, then kicked Sandalphon's throne to turn it into its vehicle form.

"Alright, let's see how this new ride works!" She exclaimed.

Origami reappeared at the same time Tohka reached the spot she reappeared in, making her gasp as she prepared to swing her sword down.

 **"Metatron: Mal'akh!"**

Tohka was caught off guard as the light blasts struck her twice over, making her tumble.

 **"Metatron: Kadour!"**

Her pillars broke formation and blasted out bursts of light as they did, with Tohka barely able to dodge them as she regained her ground.

"I hate long-ranged attacks..." Tohka quietly said to herself.

Getting an idea, she smirked as she raised her finger up, firing an orb of energy into the air.

"Huh?" Origami blinked.

"Let's see how you handle this!" Tohka exclaimed.

The orb exploded, raining down energy everywhere. Origami's power moved her out of danger again, but she was hit the moment she reappeared, being sent to the ground as Tohka rushed at her.

"Take this!" She shouted.

Origami was knocked towards one of the cubes, hitting it with a loud thud. She struggled to get up as Tohka swiped at her throne.

"Uh oh..."

Halvanhelev quickly formed, followed by Tohka launching a horizontal slash at her.

"Crap! Crap! Crap!" Origami panicked.

Moving her hands out, Metatron's pillars began spinning around in a pillar shape, blocking the attack and throwing Tohka's balance off. Origami also was shot towards the ground from the impact's recoil.

"Did she ever use Metatron as a defense before?" Kotori asked.

"This is a first, so that has to be a new technique." Shido replied.

Getting back on her feet, Origami looked at Halvanhelev and got an idea, holding her hands forward. Her pillars gathered before spreading and unfolding themselves into a cannon.

Light began gathering within it, ready to fire at Origami's command.

"Wicked! She's created a new form for her Angel!" Kotori exclaimed.

"I think seeing Halvanhelev even inspired it." Shido mentioned.

Seeing what Origami was doing, Tohka charged power into Halvanhelev, making it spark as violet energy began to overflow from it. Metatron's current form began to create a huge orb of white light.

 **"Sandalphon: Halvanhelev!"**

 **"Metatron: Artelif!"**

Right as the two Spirits prepared to unleash their strongest attacks...

"TIME UP!"

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

Both of them stopped as they looked at Mio, who motioned to the timer, which blinked to mark it had finished counting down.

"Already? That seemed way faster than 3 minutes." Tohka remarked.

"Time flies when you aren't thinking about it." Origami replied.

Dispelling their Angels, the duo floated back to the ground before Ain Soph disappeared, followed by them dispelling their Astral Dresses.

"Well, I think that's enough for now. I'd rather leave some of free period open for Origami to think about her date with Shido." Mio smiled.

Origami blushed at that.

"That's right, I almost forgot about that..." She recalled, trembling a bit.

Shido patted Origami's back, forcing her to slowly take a deep breath.

"I did decide most of the things I did with Kotori on our date yesterday, so I could do that for you if you need less pressure." He suggested.

"N-No... I'll choose them myself... it wouldn't feel right when you don't know me as well as Kotori." Origami replied, shaking her head.

"That's fair." Shido agreed.

Taking a deep breath, Origami ran back to their classroom, making him blink a bit.

"Anyone think she's a little neurotic?" Shido asked.

"Nah, she's just a bit jumpy and easily nervous. We'd have to see her organizing everything for her to be considered neurotic." Mio replied.

In response to that reply, Shido just shrugged his arms.

* * *

Later on, upon finally getting home, Origami could be seen in a panic as she looked over all of her clothes.

"Maybe... this one? No!" She panicked.

"Do you want some help?" Shizuka offered.

"No!" Origami exclaimed.

Her mom flinched a bit, right as Origami began to release a nervous sweat.

"Uh... yes?" She replied.

Then she shook her head again, panting a bit as her mind fought with itself.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Ah!"

Feeling steam come off her head, Shizuka determined this was her finalizing on accepting her help, and look around her outfits until she found the right clothing.

Origami looked up to see her mother hold a white blouse with a cute design, a blue cardigan, and a light blue skirt. Topping all of it off was a pair of silver boots.

"Wow, that looks nice. I didn't even know I had that." Origami remarked, her eyes sparkling.

"You're welcome." Shizuka smiled.

Leaving her daughter get dressed, Origami quickly put her choice of date attire on.

* * *

Mio arrived at DEM Industries with Tohka, where everyone seemed to be in more of a rush than usual, both surprising and confusing the duo.

"Uh... what's going on?" Tohka asked, looking at Mio.

"I have no idea, this is a first for me." Mio answered.

Rushing into view, Jessica was seen panting as she took a moment to breathe, soon noticing the two walk in before she gave an embarrassed blush.

"How long have you been there?" She asked.

Neither of them answered, simply turning their heads aside as Tohka whistled, and Mio scratched her ear.

"Oh boy..." She realized, sweating a bit.

"Why does everyone look like they're in a military camp? Did you just learn of some kind of DeNA threat that's sent you all rushing to prepare yourselves, or-" Mio asked.

"Nothing like that, this is more of us feeling the stress from our Director's more... personal issues." Jessica explained.

"I don't think we're following you?" Tohka replied.

Jessica released a deep breath as she took the moment to sit down, patting the ground as she silently requested the duo to join her. They both shrugged and sat down with her.

"To explain this better? Around the time Miku's week long concert began, Westcott got a call from two people he, Elliot, and Ellen know fairly well." Jessica began.

"OK, with you so far." Mio replied.

"And they told him they'd be coming to Tenguu City in the next few days, something that got all three of them out of sorts because of the... unique history they have as a result of their job running DEM Industries." Jessica continued.

"Go on." Tohka nodded.

"Why is it these two just happen to send the people responsible for the group that helps defend and restore the world from damage caused by Spacequakes? Because the two in question... are their daughters." Jessica revealed.

Mio's eyes widened as she heard that.

"They have children!? How old are they?" She exclaimed, unable to believe what she heard.

"If memory serves me right? They're both 15, and they're sort of twins... yet not." Jessica answered.

Mio and Tohka tilted their heads in confusion.

"Let's see, how to explain this. You know how some people have to have children through surrogates, right? They used something like that to make sure Ellen would have two children, but give each twin a different father." She clarified.

"It sounds like Ellen was just too lazy to get pregnant twice..." Tohka remarked, feeling a sweat drop on her face.

Jessica and Mio's cheeks puffed a bit as they barely held off a laugh, hoping Ellen didn't walk by and hear them.

"Well, either way. Sounds like everyone's dealing with the stress they're facing from their arrival being redirected on all of you." Mio realized.

"Ain't that the truth..." Jessica sighed.

"Then how about Mio and I help reduce the pressure on everyone?" Tohka offered.

Hearing that, they saw Jessica cry as she took their hands like they were messiahs.

"Our saviors!" She sniffled happily.

Both Spirits began laughing at that, finding it awkward to hear her say such a thing from Jessica of all people.

* * *

Shido could be seen whistling near the park area, waiting for Origami to show up for their date. He checked his phone as he did.

"She's running a bit late, hope she's OK." He wondered aloud.

"Hey! Over here Shido!" Origami called out, running his way.

Turning around, Shido smiled as he saw Origami finally run into view, taking a moment to catch her breath once she neared him.

"I hope I'm not too late. This date made me so nervous, I spent a lot of time getting dressed." She apologized.

Walking up to her, Shido pet Origami on the head, making her blush before she gave a warm smile. While she wasn't willing to say it out loud, she liked being pet like a dog.

"Definitely worth it, because you look great." Shido praised.

"Thanks, so... are you ready?" She asked, her hand twitching.

"Yeah, but just remember we can take our time. No need to rush this date beyond what makes you comfortable." He reminded her.

Origami nodded, blushing as he took her twitching hand.

* * *

As Tohka and Mio left the DEM building, they saw the sight of Rinne collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily.

"Rinne!" Tohka panicked, rushing over.

Mio quickly followed her, lifting up her hand to check her pulse, which was fine. Realizing that wasn't the problem, she felt her head with the back of her head, but felt no signs of a fever either.

"Pulse is fine and no fever... yet she's only semi-conscious at best." She mentioned, looking at Tohka.

"Then what's wrong with her?" Tohka questioned, a worried look on her face.

No answer left Mio's mouth, who simply lifted Rinne into her arms.

"You know where her current apartment is, right? Let's head over and see if we can contact any family that might be aware of what's going on." Mio suggested.

Tohka sighed, nodding her head.

"Alright, follow me." She replied.

* * *

Shido and Origami were seen sitting in a restaurant Origami made a reservation at. Walking to the table, a waiter brought in a large plate of spaghetti, making Origami drool over the view of her favorite dish.

"Yummy!" She exclaimed, blushing a bit.

Picking up her fork, she quickly dug into it, not showing and bother or worries about its fresh heat burning her tongue.

"Hey Origami, I have a suggestion." Shido mentioned.

"Hmm?" She blinked.

Picking up a single noodle, he placed once side of it in his mouth while using his fork to hold out the other end towards Origami, making her blush as she realized what he was offering her.

She gulped a bit as she thought about if she should do it or not.

"Uh... O-OK, if you insist." Origami agreed, shaking a bit.

Moving forward, she bit into the end before Shido slurped on it, sneaking a kiss onto her. Origami gave a muffled squeak as she covered her mouth, swallowing the half of the noodle she swallowed.

"I'd say that was bold of me, but you took the other end." Shido giggled.

"Y-Yeah... guess that's true." Origami replied, giving an awkward chuckle.

As they continued eating, with Origami devouring a majority of the large paste plate they had, Shido finally decided to ask the question he asked Kotori the other day.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" He inquired.

"Sure, what is it?" Origami replied, chewing on some spaghetti.

"Your Sephira Crystal, do you remember how you got it? Just curious since Kotori's caused the Tenguu Fire, and you found yours around half a year before then." Shido questioned.

Origami paused for a bit, humming a bit as she tried to remember it.

* * *

 _The scene opened to six months before the Tenguu Fire, with Origami walking around town with her father, briefly stopping as she heard an ice cream truck drive by._

 _"Daddy, can I get some ice cream?" Origami asked._

 _"Sure thing, just wait on the bench while I get it." Kouki smiled._

 _Origami nodded and moved to the bench while her father walked to the truck and took his wallet out, as she waited..._

 ** _"Hello there."_**

 _Origami jumped a bit at the sudden voice, turning to see the outline of Phantom before her._

 _"W-who are you, and are you invisible?" She asked, whimpering in fear._

 ** _"Don't panic, I'm just a shy girl who uses her Seirei Ability to hide from those I don't want to notice me. I decided to speak to you because I was interested by your white hair. From what I can tell, it isn't due to albinism, is it?"_** _Phantom answered._

 _"Yeah... I'm a natural white." Origami confirmed._

 _ **"With such a rare treasure of a hair color, I think this is something better owned by you."**_ _Phantom smiled, holding her hands out._

 _Opening them up, Origami's widened at the sight of a white gem resembling her Angel's pillars._

 _"Really? I can have this?" Origami asked._

 ** _"Yep, I hope it brings you luck."_** _Phantom replied._

 _At that moment, Phantom suddenly vanished from view, making Origami blink in confusion._

 _"Origami!" Her father called._

 _She panicked as she quickly pocketed the Metatron Crystal, rushing over to him as she decided to keep the meeting between her and Phantom a secret from both her parents._

* * *

While he almost gave his shock away, Shido felt his eyes shake as his fears were confirmed.

'Phantom... she gave Origami her Sephira Crystal, just like she did with Kotori! Does that mean she's been distributing them without anyone's notice?' He thought, now losing even more trust in her.

"Oddly enough, I think that girls' form appeared to me for a brief moment. It seemed kind of silvery?" Origami recalled.

Shido couldn't be sure if Phantom didn't have some kind of trick that made Origami notice something fake or not, but silver was close enough to the hair color Phantom inherited from Reine's form.

That only added to the evidence Shido was unfortunate to realize.

"Kotori told me the Camael Crystal resembled the ember of a fire, I wonder what the other Crystals resemble? Especially Tohka's due to her circumstances." He mentioned.

"Really? Then again, I thought mine changed shape or something due to how our powers are represented on that ring attached to Mio's Astral Dress." Origami replied.

"Maybe that's what they started like and shaped themselves like their elements over time?" Shido guessed.

Origami shrugged, goggling the rest of the spaghetti until the plate was clean of every noddle. She even scooped all the sauce off with her spoon just to savor every ounce of it.

"Wow... you really love spaghetti, don't you?" Shido remarked.

"I can't help it, spaghetti's delicious." Origami replied, blushing.

Shido soon took her by the hand, making her blush as he pulled her out of the restaurant, taking them both outside.

"So, where to next?" He asked.

"Uh... well, how about we go visit the arcade?" She suggested, blushing even more.

Shido soon picked her up into a bridal carry, making her go completely red.

"Then your wish is my command." Shido smiled.

Origami whimpered as her eyes go white, sputtering a bunch of gibberish over the mental overload and joy this act brought her.

* * *

Arriving at Rinne's apartment, they saw it was incredibly empty besides a bare minimum.

"Wow, this is... understated." Mio remarked, blinking a bit.

"Rinne isn't staying here long because she's trying to find a permanent home in Tenguu City. Why would she need that much if she's going to move it shortly after picking it up?" Tohka mentioned.

"Good point." Mio agreed.

Both of them heard a slight mumble, seeing Rinne open her eyes.

"Rinne, are you OK?" Tohka asked.

"I... I think so, it was just... this strange flash went through my head. Like a memory came to me... but quickly vanished just as quickly." She answered.

"Has this been regular?" Mio asked.

"Yeah, I think... my mind's trying to remember something I forgot." Rinne confirmed.

She touched her head for a moment.

"My father's been telling me that I went through something that made me lose my memory, ever since he adopted me last year." She mentioned.

"Wait, you're adopted?" Mio gasped.

"That's right. There's a video phone with his number on it, if you'd like to ask him more." Rinne stated, pointing at it.

Tohka walked up to it, hitting the contact labeled _Rikuto_ as the phone rang. Soon enough, her father's face could be seen.

"Hello, who is this?" He answered.

"I'm Tohka Yatogami, a friend of Rinne's. We brought her home after we found her collapsed outside." Tohka replied.

Upon seeing her face, Rikuto went silent for a moment.

"You're that one Spirit who was born differently from the others, right?" He inquired.

"Uh... yeah? Why are you asking me this?" Tohka confirmed, looking slightly confused.

"Rinne, can you hear me?" Rikuto asked.

"Yeah dad, I can hear you." Rinne confirmed.

"I think... it's time I tell you more about the day we first met." He replied.

Rinne tilted her head in confusion.

"Why would that be important? You met me last year and adopted me, even though I didn't remember where I came from." She replied.

"Except that's just the story I told you, because you wouldn't have believed the real one. You see... the day we first met? It wasn't just the day you became my daughter, it was also the same day you were born." Rikuto revealed.

Rinne's eyes widened, while Tohka and Mio released a loud gasp as they connected the dots.

* * *

 _Watering the plans in a greenhouse he owned, Rikuto could be seen smiling at his work... right as a bright pink light caught his attention. He quickly looked outside to see something like a shooting star near his property._

 _"What is that?" He wondered aloud._

 _At that same moment, someone flew by and struck past the pink light, causing it to be shot near his area, crashing as if it was a vehicle that was just forced into an accident by some unknown force._

 _Immediately rushing out from the sight, Rinne's father soon found a pink gem on the ground, with a cut resembling a flower petal._

 _"A gemstone?" Rikuto said in shock._

 _"Drop the Sephira Crystal, now."_

 _Looking into the sky, the sight of Alice in her Minerva disguise was seen, holding her sword out._

 _"It seems you will resist. My apologies, but... I'm afraid you'll have to die now." Minerva stated._

 _Holding the crystal close to him, it began to glow._

 _Minerva's eyes widened before the light blasted into her, sending her flying far into the sky before she vanished into a twinkle. When the light faded, Rinne's father saw a silhouette matching that of Sarah from Rinne's flashback, only to shift slightly into the form of Rinne as everyone knew her._

 _"A girl? What... what's going on here?" He asked._

 ** _"Thank you for protecting her."_** _Someone stated._

 _Rikuto looked up, trying and failing to see Phantom's hidden form looking at him with a smile._

 ** _"In the near future, this girl will play an important role. Keep her safe."_** _Phantom requested._

 _With those words, Phantom disappeared._

* * *

As she listened to the story end, Rinne's eyes shook from hearing her origins.

"From that day on, you became my daughter, unaware of what you were beyond being a kind and sweet child without a family." Rikuto finished.

"That gem, it was..." Tohka realized.

"The Shekhinah Crystal, which means Rinne is a Spirit... the Nature Spirit!" Mio exclaimed.

Rinne looked at her hands, feeling as if everything she had known before was wrong.

"I... I... I'm..."

And with that, Rinne fell back onto her bed as her eyes closed, making Tohka and her father looked at her in concern.

"Oh god, Rinne!" Tohka shouted.

"Don't panic, I think she was just overwhelmed by the revelation and fainted." Mio reassured her.

Tohka sighed in relief.

"Don't worry Mr. Sonogami, we'll make sure she's OK." Mio promised.

"Please do. Human or Spirit, adopted or not? She's still my daughter." He replied.

With that, the video call ended.

* * *

At the arcade, Shido blinked in surprise as Tohka quickly scored high on a mole whacker game, which soon attracted a crowd.

"Man, that girl's on fire!"

"No, like a living lightning bolt!"

"She's a speed queen!"

"Or she's just a psychic."

Origami soon slammed down the last mole, making the machine release a serious of sounds as she managed to surpass the original high score, making her cheer as she hugged Shido.

"I did it! I did it!" She cheered.

"That you did, congratulations." Shido smiled, hugging her back.

He pecked her cheek, making her red at the _prize_ Shido gave her.

"U-Uh..."

Steam left her ears as Origami quickly pulled him to a different part of the arcade, panting a bit as she tried to calm herself.

"Seriously? You'd think after kissing me, you wouldn't get some embarrassed over this." Shido chuckled, shaking his head.

"It's different when you kiss me..." Origami whimpered.

Right as she said that, she realized they were right next to a picture booth, making her squeak a little.

"Uh..."

Looking at Shido, she took a deep breath... accidentally biting her tongue, but she shrugged it off.

"Want to... take a... picture together?" She asked, her tongue still hurting.

"Sure thing." Shido agreed.

Origami walked into the booth, and as Shido followed, she panicked and kicked him out.

"Hold your horses! Don't come in here yet, baka!" She panicked, sweating nervously.

Shido blinked a bit.

"I'm... very confused right now." He mentioned.

Origami soon held her hand out, which he took as she pulled him in, which is when Shido noticed she had slightly adjusted her clothes and hair to make sure nothing was sticking out.

'Oh, that explains her reaction more.' Shido realized.

"Sorry for kicking you..." Origami apologized.

He patted her back, quickly turning the machine on as the two readied themselves for the camera.

"Say cheese!"

At that moment, the camera shutter went off, capturing the moment.

* * *

Westcott was listening to Tohka as she called him, his eyes widening.

"Rinne is same as yourself?" He exclaimed.

"Yeah, her adoptive father confirmed it. Said he found her Sephira Crystal last year." Tohka verified.

"But... she doesn't resemble any of our old friends, so how can that be?" Westcott questioned.

"Actually, based on what he told us? Her crystal was attacked and likely damaged as it descended to Earth. Going by that, it seems her body's formation is still incomplete, so you need to look for who Rinne could resemble to know who she was." Tohka explained.

Westcott hummed at that.

"Incomplete formation? Yes, that might explain why her flashes of memory aren't sticking, because they're trying to restore the memories of a form that isn't what it should be." He realized.

"So, what do you want us to do?" She inquired.

"Keep watch over her, and we'll figure out which of our friends she used to be." Westcott requested.

"Got it." Tohka replied.

She hung up at that, looking at the DEM Analysts.

"Everyone, we've found the owner of the Shekhinah Crystal, and it's Rinne Sonogami!" He exclaimed.

This got their attention.

"What, seriously? But nothing ever picked up a match to her appearance like we got with Tohka's." Kawagoe questioned.

"According to what I was just told? It seems the DeNA attacked her crystal before her body formed, meaning her current appearance is likely her conserving strength until she can fully restore it." Westcott explained.

"So, right now, she's like a Hermit Crab without a shell." Minowa realized.

Shiizaki tapped her chin, trying to think of anyone who could have reincarnated into Rinne, but when she realized who could qualify?

"Guys... most of our fallen friends had braids. It could be any of them." Shiizaki mentioned.

Westcott groaned as he face palmed himself.

"That's just perfect. What else could get in our way now?" He questioned.

He froze upon noticing he said that out loud, releasing a fearful sweat.

"Oh no..."

Just to make it worse, Ellen rushed into the room and grabbed Westcott's collar, nearly choking on her own breath.

"They just landed!" She screamed.

Westcott immediately fell over, groaning over the fact he jinxed himself.

* * *

Shido and Origami were seen on a bench together, the latter napping on his shoulder as the day and her constant nervousness had finally worn her out.

"You did good Origami, you did good." He smiled.

At that moment, he heard his phone ring and took it out, showing Kotori was the one calling him.

"Hello?" Shido answered.

"Hey Shido, just thought I'd ask if you got any new info about Phantom? Especially since I've got some news you'll want to hear." Kotori asked.

"I did... Phantom visited Origami too. So, what did you learn?" Shido confirmed, raising his eye.

Sighing a bit, Shido's eyes widened as he heard the news about learning Rinne was a Spirit.

"Wait... what? Rinne has been a Spirit the entire time, and just like Tohka no less!?" He shouted, feeling his eyes shake in surprise.

"Yeah, and while he didn't see her, Phantom spoke to Rinne's adoptive father." Kotori confirmed.

Shido broke into a nervous sweat.

'Tohka did make it sound like Phantom wasn't there, but... what if she just didn't see her? It doesn't sound like Rinne did.' He thought.

He shook his head, deciding to think on it later.

"We'll think more on it later. For now, we need to focus on helping Rinne." Shido decided.

"OK, see you when you get back." Kotori replied.

Hanging up the phone, Origami soon woke up, looking at Shido as she rubbed her eyes.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" He asked.

"No, just didn't feel tired anymore. Did I miss anything while I was asleep?" Origami shook her head, giving a curious look as she rubbed her right eye.

"Just one thing... Kotori called me to share that Tohka and Mio found out Rinne is a Spirit." Shido revealed.

Origami gasped, all her lingering sleepiness disappearing.

"Are you serious?" She asked, making sure she heard right.

"Yeah, but apparently the DEM didn't notice like they had with Tohka because her crystal was attacked by someone from the DeNA, which prevented her from materializing the exact appearance of her past life." Shido explained.

"No way... is she taking it alright?" Origami questioned, feeling horrified by the thought.

"We don't know yet. The shock made her faint, so... we may need to be ready to help her get back on her feet." Shido answered.

Origami gave a sad look, but it quickly left once Shido rubbed her head.

"Don't worry, we helped you and Tohka when you hit your lowest, and we'll be there to help Rinne the same way." He smiled.

"Thank you Shido." Origami smiled.

Grabbing his hand, Shido nearly fell over as she suddenly pulled him towards the monorail station.

"Whoa, where are you going!?" Shido exclaimed.

"To the last spot I've prepared for our date!" Origami smiled, giggling they kept running.

* * *

After riding the monorail to one of the areas on the very edge of the crater housing Tenguu City, Origami lead Shido to a beat-up shrine, kneeling on the ground as she made a prayer motion.

"What is this place?" Shido asked.

"This shrine is a place that my parents brought me to after they survived their crash and I got out of the hospital. In fact, this is where we had been living the past 5 years before we came back to Nankou after they gained ownership of Tenguu Hospital." Origami answered.

"So, this is your old neighborhood. That explains why I never ran into you during the 5 years between the Fire and last month." He realized.

Origami blushed a bit, rubbing her neck slightly.

"Is there anything special about this shrine? It seems pretty old compared to the one Yoshino helps at." Shido asked.

"There is. This shrine was in the area when the Spacequake that created our City's namesake went off, but managed to stay intact, and continued to do so throughout the Day of the Black Earth. Because of this, the survivors brought it here." Origami explained.

"Let me guess, your family began praying here because of its history and what happened to all three of you around the time of the Tenguu Fire." Shido guessed.

Origami nodded, smiling a bit.

"I still consider it a blessing, because in a way... it brought me back to Nankou." She mentioned.

* * *

 _Beeping was heard as Origami's sleeping form recovered in the hospital, still bandaged from the gas explosion that she only survived due to the Metatron Crystal bonding with her._

 _One of the doctors was watching nearby, only to hear a loud cough. Turning around, she saw Origami finally open her eyes, giving a confused yet hazy look_

 _"Uh... what happened to me? Why does my head hurt?" Origami groaned._

 _She winced as she felt the pain of her wounds flare up, making the Doctor rush over and hold her down._

 _"Don't try to move, you're still recovering from your injuries." She warned._

 _"Injuries? Wait, as in I'm in the hospital right now?" Origami realized, her eyes widening._

 _The doctor didn't answer as she called someone._

 _A few minutes after she made the call, the door opened to show her parents walk in, with Shizuka rushing over to her daughter and hugging her._

 _"Origami, thank goodness!" She cried, afraid to let her go._

 _"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Origami winced, feeling her injuries flare up._

 _Realizing her daughter was still healing from her burns, she blushed as she let go in embarrassment._

 _"What happened? Why am I here?" Origami asked, still confused._

 _"Uh... well, you saw us and ran our way, but the flames burned into your path as you did and burned you badly." Kouki lied, knowing he couldn't tell her about the gas explosion._

 _Origami paled at that, remembering seeing her parents right before everything went blank._

* * *

 _Arriving into their new neighborhood, Shizuka carried her daughter, who's legs were still healing from their burns, out of the car. As that was happening, Kouki aimed his gaze as he looked for something._

 _After a bit, he smiled as he found it and pointed towards it._

 _"There is it, follow me." Kouki smiled._

 _Shizuka walked behind her husband as they walked towards the area in question, with Origami looking confused._

 _"Where are we going?" Origami asked._

 _"To a special place." Shizuka answered._

 _They finally reached the very shrine Shido and Origami were currently at in the present day, making the latter's younger self blink in confusion._

 _"I don't get it." Origami admitted._

 _"Origami, this shrine you see here? It's an old one that's survived the Spacequakes and the Day of the Black Earth. We figured that, due to what all of us went through, it was a special because it's one that's like us." Kouki explained._

 _"So, it's a good luck charm?" Origami asked._

 _"Yes." Shizuka smiled, rubbing her head._

 _All three of them began praying, with time speeding up as Origami and her family could be seen, her mom and/or father sometimes missing, over the 5 years, until one day when Origami went to the shrine alone._

 _"Origami!"_

 _Turning around, she saw her mom walk up to the shrine, holding her hands behind her back._

 _"What is it mom?" She asked._

 _"I just wanted to get your opinion on this house." Shizuka replied, holding out some papers._

 _Origami gave a confused look, taking the paper... until she saw it was in Nankou._

 _"Wait, this is..." She gasped._

 _"That's right! We just got ownership of Tenguu Hospital, so we're moving back home!" Shizuka smiled, giggling after saying it._

 _Realizing that she would get to see Shido again, Origami began to blush as her mouth began a wiggly smile._

* * *

Shido gave a playful giggle as Origami rubbed the back of her head, slightly blushing.

"Uh... anyways, this place holds a lot of happy memories for me, and hearing that we'd get to meet again was one of them." She chuckled, rubbing her cheek slightly.

"And I appreciate you shared it with me." Shido smiled.

Origami gave a blush-filled smile before resting her head on Shido's shoulder, with the two enjoying the sunset as they stood there.

*"GRUMBLE!"*

Shido soon realized that was his stomach, and gave an embarrassed laugh.

"Guess I didn't eat enough spaghetti." He joked.

"Dinner at your house like with Kotori?" Origami suggested.

"I think that's how I'll need to end Tohka's date at this rate, so... sure thing." Shido agreed.

And with that, they headed home.

* * *

 **Quite a bit of revelations in this chapter. Phantom's been confirmed to have given Origami the Metatron Crystal just like she gave Kotori hers, and with this revelation, Shido's initial worries about where her allegiance lies has only gotten worse. Not to mention, Phantom seems to either be pleased that Shido's finding her out, or this is part of her plans... both of which is a bad thing should she really be Ratatoskr's enemy.**

 **Not only that, but she was present for Rinne's birth, who just learned about her origins from her father and had the reasons behind DEM being unable to recognize her explained. It might seem like I was pretty fast in revealing this, but my plans for Rinne's arc is where she'll have to start coming to terms with her origins, so her learning she's a Spirit isn't too important for what I have planned in the arcs that follow.**

 **Then there's the revelation of who the guests Westcott, Ellen, and Elliot has been expecting are. Their own daughters! I'm not going to say who they are until the next chapter (since they've already landed in Tenguu City), but I have a feeling that some, if not most of you already have a good idea who they are. What I can say is that they'll have arrived at a good time... for Ratatoskr that is.**

 **Things are really starting to pick up, and if you've been paying attention to this chapter and the previous one, you can already tell despite the focus on Shido and his harem spending a normal day... things are picking up for when and after the Hecatoncheires arrives. Be prepared, because next chapter and Spiritual Successor's coming anniversary chapter will really knock your socks off!**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	14. Flashy Friday

**Alright everyone, time for the final of the three March chapters! This time, we have the focus on Tohka's date, along with a side focus on Rinne's reaction to discovering she's a Spirit, piggybacked by the official reveal of who Westcott, Ellen, and Elliot's daughters are. Not only that, but this is the final day of Miku's concert, meaning that today is the day... the Hecatoncheires will arrive.**

 **As such, while most of this chapter is the same as the previous two were, the remaining parts will set up the anniversary chapter that will mark the end of the Miku arc and the beginning of Ratatoskr's adventures beyond Tenguu City, as well as Shido being able to fight alongside his harem. I've been waiting for Shido to have his true fighting debut, and the time has finally come!**

 **This is also where I actually get to show the AST truly fighting, as aside from most of the people I've revealed as Wizards having not been shown fighting as one, they haven't been in a battle where they weren't used completely overpowered to show things off. This is the point in the story where, although still weaker than most threats they'll fight, will actually be able to add to the battles instead of just being there and getting tossed around.**

 **Oh, and I should clarify this since some of you may be wondering why Elliot only needs crutches whereas Cecile's still in a wheelchair, as I may have caused some people to think their situations were the same. The difference is that Cecile was outright paralyzed, whereas Elliot's leg muscles were too damaged to do more than stand up. It's a lot easier for Mio to heal someone's muscles than for her to restore an ability the body's outright lost.**

 **So, without further ado? Let the chapter begin!**

* * *

 **[Chapter 14 - Flashy Friday]**

Landing at Tenguu Airport, the sight of Elliot standing by a gate could be seen as he waited for certain passengers. After a few minutes, he finally saw who he was waiting for.

The first one to come into view was a girl with long, white to black gradient hair with blue eyes. Her attire consisted of a short-sleeved, pink button up coat, with a black T-shirt with longer sleeves underneath, a mostly covered white skirt poking from its bottom, black stockings with white tips, a black headband, and blue boots.

The second looked just like her, only with black to white gradient hair with hazel eyes. Her attire was an open black jacket with triangular-edged sleeves and stylized cut outs, a yellow tank top with black rims, blue jean shorts, a silver bracelet on her right hand, a white headband, and yellow/white sneakers with red accents across them.

'Here come the Krakens...' Elliot thought, gulping slightly.

Both of them continued walking until he stood before them, immediately grabbing their attention.

"Maria, Marina. Good to see you." Elliot greeted, looking at the white and black-haired twin respectively.

"Wait a second... dad, are you walking on your feet!?" Marina gasped.

Maria showed surprise, especially when she noticed he only needed a single crutch instead of two.

"Pops, how did this happen to you? It's incredible!" She questioned.

Elliot chuckled a bit, knowing that he'd have a long story to tell them, once they were with a certain person they had to meet.

"Guess I have a lot to talk about as we drive back." He replied.

"Oh, so you usually don't talk much at all?" Maria questioned.

Elliot chuckled at how his half-daughter had roped him into one of her usual snarky replies, the proof she was Westcott's daughter. The one thing he could never decide on is if what he passed onto Marina was better or worse.

Said quality showed itself as Marina gave an annoyed glare at her half-twin, which was her short temper and broader emotional reactions.

"Will you stop that Maria! Half of the time you do that, you sound more like a jerk that the funny sarcastic you seem to see yourself as!" She exclaimed, pushing her face into her sister's without hesitation.

"Careful Marina, or your mood will become as dark as your hair." Maria giggled.

"SHUT UP!" Marina screamed.

Elliot groaned, sliding his hand down his face as this argument became his sign that it was going to be a _long_ ride home.

* * *

After returning to their neighborhood, Shido and Origami's date officially ended as the two of them walked into the former's house.

"I'm back!" Shido shouted.

"Hey bro, you came at an interesting time." Shiori greeted, currently in the kitchen.

"Why is that?" He inquired.

Shiori pointed at the table, revealing a tired Elliot, Ellen, and Westcott laying their heads on the table as their half-twin daughters were seen talking with Mio and the other Spirits (with Rinne being the exception) and laughing about something.

"I don't recognize those two, but... I'm guessing they relate to the sleeping DEM Founders on our dinner table?" He assumed.

Giggling was heard as Mana walked into the room, holding some blankets and pillows that she soon gave to the sleeping trio.

"That's right Shido, those two over there are their children." She revealed.

"Wait, what did you just say!?" Shido shouted, both him and Origami's faces shaking in surprise from the answer.

Mio giggled at their faces.

"I had the same reaction when Jessica told me and Tohka about them earlier." She mentioned, giggling once again.

Seeing his form, Maria was the first to walk up to Shido and offer a hand.

"You must be Shido Takamiya, right? It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Maria Arusu, and the one with the inverted hair and eye colors is my half-twin Marina Arusu." She greeted.

"Arusu? Half-Twin?" Shido repeated, a confused look on his face.

"Our real last names are our mom and dads' last names combined, but we use the name of Pops' adoptive parents instead. Oh, the name's Marina Arusu by the way, and I have an inverted pigment mutation if you ask about my hair and/or eyes." Marina explained.

Mio quickly moved between Shido and Mio, leaning towards their ears.

"Jessica mentions they specifically made it so Ellen would have twins and only genes from a single father. Elliot is Marina's father while Maria is Ike's, and they call their dad they're not related to Pops instead." She explained.

"Ah." They both replied, nodding in understanding.

"So, I'm guessing by what you said about your last names, that you live with your grandparents?" Origami inquired.

"In Kyoto, yes." Marina confirmed.

She turned her head, looking at their sleeping parents with an annoyed look.

"Yet they freak when we come for a visit, it's like we're leeches!" She shouted.

Maria gave her own look, only her eyes were half closed and she was just giving a slight frown, making Mana raise an eye in response.

"Uh... are you trying to silently speak your anger through glaring?" Mana asked.

"No, I'm not angry at all~" Maria answered, her eyes fully closed as she gave a fake smile that looked completely genuine.

Seeing this, Mana tried not to laugh.

Right at that same moment, Shinji walked in and noticed the Arusu twins.

"Oh! Maria, Marina! Didn't know you were here. Good to see you." He smiled.

"Hey Shinji, good to see you." Marina greeted.

"And it's a good thing your parents are currently sleeping. I have something I'd like to ask you two about if you'll be staying in Tenguu City for a while." Shinji mentioned.

Maria giggled as she held up a letter, which Shinji looked at.

"Holy guacamole... is the whole reason you're visiting to tell your parents that you're-" He realized, pointing at the two.

"Don't spoil it yet, we're waiting to see how they'll freak out before saying we're getting a house here." Marina snickered.

Shinji tried and failed to contain his laughter.

'I don't think I've seen Shinji have so much fun with anything since... well, ever!' Mio thought, surprised from seeing this side of him.

"So, what did you want to ask us?" Maria asked.

Shinji held up a finger, soon turning his laptop around to show the blueprints of the Fraxinus' stripped down model, which Elliot had given him to help improve upon. The Arusu twins both zoomed over, literally butting heads to get a better look.

"Whoa, is that one of my dad's designs!?" Marina questioned.

"It is, and one for Ratatoskr's official ship. For my offer... want to help improve on it with me and my daughter? After all, I was hoping you three could be part of its crew." Shinji confirmed, winking with the last half of sentence.

Shido's eyes widened at that, right as the twins cheered and hugged Shinji tightly, making him wince as their grips.

"We've been bored out of our minds since we finished our home schooling, sign me up!" Marina exclaimed, almost demanding it.

"Agreed, we've already completed college level studies, so we're bored out of our minds." Maria nodded.

Giving a thumb's up, Shinji smiled at them.

"Good to... know..." He forced out, still feeling a bit crushed by their united grip.

With that, everyone began laughing at the scene, with the Hermetic Trio somehow sleeping through it all.

* * *

Friday quickly came, and Tohka was seen smiling brightly as she decided on what she'd wear for her date.

"I'm so excited!"

She laughed happily as she spun around, though as she did...

*"TUMBLE!"*

Tohka screamed as she tripped over her own feet and caused the books from her bookshelf to fall on her, slowly rising out of it as one last book hit her.

Her voice switched from loud to quiet as the sight of Kinako Breads spun around her head.

"Owie..."

Shaking off the dizziness, Tohka went back to happily humming as she decided on everything, confident nothing else would interrupt her rhythm.

*"KNOCK! KNOCK!"*

Until that happened.

Tohka walked up to her door, opening it to see Rinne with a somewhat saddened look on her face.

"Hey Rinne, are you feeling alright?" She greeted, trying to force a smile.

"I'm fine... just thought I'd let you know that since we now know I'm a... Spirit, that the DEM has given my father and I one of the houses in the neighborhood. Glad to know I've got a friend close by." Rinne replied, her voice lacking its usual cheer.

And despite how much she tried to hide it, Tohka noticed it.

"Uh... hey, I may be going on a date with Shido today, but I can totally reschedule it if you want me to." Tohka offered.

"No, you go on that date as planned. I'm fine." Rinne refused.

"But, are you-" Tohka asked.

"I _insist_ , Tohka." Rinne interjected.

Quietly standing where she was for a minute after hearing her reply, Tohka decided to give in, worried that she might be pushing the issue too far.

"Uh... alright. Good talking to you, just... know I'm here to talk whenever you feel like it." Tohka stated.

Rinne silently nodded, walking off towards her house as Tohka watched, taking a deep breath as she remembered what Mio told her the other day.

* * *

 _Mio placed her hand on Rinne, closing her eyes as she sensed for the Shekhinah Crystal's presence within her._

 _The inside of a Spirit's body was a thing of beauty, like seeing a Utopian paradise made of crystals, with the crystals within Rinne being pink for obvious reasons._

 _"Let's see... found it!" She exclaimed._

 _Sensing the area where her heart was, the sight of a long and deep cut across the Shekhinah Crystal entered her vision._

 _"Is it really damaged?" Tohka asked._

 _"Badly, it looks like a scar." Mio confirmed, wincing slightly._

 _"And... you'll be able to fix it?" Tohka hoped, sweating nervously._

 _"That's the good news. Since the Sephira Crystals were made by me, fixing their damage is as simple as putting ice on a bruise." Mio smiled, fully confident in herself._

 _Closing her eyes and focusing her Reiryoku, the Shekhinah Crystal began to glow, soon looking like it had never been damaged._

 _"Mission complete." Mio stated, wiping her forehead._

 _Tohka sighed in relief, looking at Rinne as she expected something to happen... only nothing did, making her raise an eye in confusion. Upon seeing this, Mio giggled._

 _"It isn't going to work like that. The damage is healed, but Rinne has to finish the rest." Mio explained._

 _"Oh... guess the cut was the quick fix." Tohka realized, chuckling in embarrassment._

 _"Not sure that's the right term either. On one hand, I may have already been too late to have her body succeed in restoring her intended physical form and she'll only be able to manifest it while in her Astral Dress, but it's just as likely she'll regain it once she accepts herself as a Spirit." Mio mentioned._

 _Tohka blinked at that, not getting it._

 _"It isn't too important. However, what I'm about to tell you is." Mio continued, sighing at the latter half._

 _"And now I'm scared..." Tohka whispered to herself._

 _She listened as Mio took a deep breath to relax her nerves, then proceeded to say what she had to say._

 _"Tohka, you need to know that you knew what you were from the moment you were born, and have had years to think on that consciously and/or subconsciously. For Rinne on the other hand, she's spent a year thinking she was a human with amnesia. It's clear to me she won't react or accept it the same way you did." Mio warned._

 _"What do you mean?" Tohka asked._

 _"I mean that Rinne's got a lot to handle all at once, and when you remember what extreme negative emotions made you and Origami... anyways, my point in this? You know her story better than anyone. We might have both been Spirits from the start, but only you know the pain of being attacked, and I'm not a direct reincarnation like you are for Alicia." She explained._

 _Tohka's eyes widened at that, even though she still didn't understand all of it._

 _"Essentially, you're the closest friend she has here, and while you were attacked after forming compared to before it? Out of everyone in Tenguu City, only you can truly understand what she's gone through." Mio continued, summarizing everything._

 _"I get it, just be a friend more than usual during all of this." Tohka nodded, finally feeling everything click._

 _"Just know this. From what I've seen during my time with Shin and Mana's relationship before they were married, there are times you have to have one side ready to be talked to. If Rinne makes it sound like she's not in the mood, don't try to push it. Forcing her to feel better won't help if she doesn't feel ready for it." Mio mentioned, just to be safe._

 _Tohka paused a bit, but sighed and nodded her head, knowing that for where Mio was naive? She was also more understanding of how relationships worked._

* * *

Glancing Rinne's direction once more, Tohka silently walked to school as she got a text.

"Tell Saya in advance I'm not coming to class today." She sadly read aloud, the message having been sent by none other than Rinne.

Lowering her head briefly, she opened her contact to Saya.

As that was going on, Yoshino could be seen walking to Rindouji, holding the Zadkiel Crystal in her hands.

"I wonder what this gem is? It's really pretty." She asked herself.

 **"I know what it is, my only question? Do you want the answer?"** Someone inquired.

Yoshino jumped at that, looking around nervously as she tried to find the source of the voice. It was then that Phantom's form lowered into view.

"Who... who are you?" She asked, feeling her body tremble.

 **"No need to be afraid. You're familiar with Mio Takamiya, aren't you? I'm also acquainted with her."** Phantom reassured her, hiding a slight smirk.

"So, you're... a Spirit?" Yoshino realized.

 **"Not exactly, but also not technically wrong either. I can't really give you a direct answer about that. However, for your previous question... that gem is something important that was stolen from Mio long ago."** Phantom answered.

Yoshino's eyes widened at that, trying to look around for her.

 **"No, no. Don't give it back to her just yet. Right now, there are some dangerous people looking for it, the same ones who nearly caused all those crashes the Ratatoskr group managed to stop. For now? It'll be much safer for you to hold onto it, and let it return to Mio when events let it happen naturally."** She clarified.

"Are you sure? I mean... if this is Mio's-" Yoshino questioned.

 **"Trust me, I've known Mio and these horrible people longer than you have. It's better to play things safe."** Phantom reassured her, smiling as she held out her pointer finger.

With that, Yoshino watched as Phantom flew off, unaware that Mio was walking within the area she flew over. Gasping once she realized this, she tried to disappear before she was seen... only Mio had already caught a glance.

"No way, was that really..." She gasped, her eyes shaking in disbelief.

She immediately rushed to school, wanting to tell Shido what she saw.

* * *

Upon finally reaching Rindouji, the sight of Tohka was seen staring at her desk as she sat in it, still sporting the sad expression from earlier.

At that same moment, the Gossip trio walked into the room.

"Kind of sucks that this is the final day of Miku's concern, isn't it?" Ai stated, with both eyes closed.

"Yeah, but they say nothing good lasts forever." Mai mentioned, similarly wishing there was more.

Mii just nodded her head, right as she noticed Tohka.

"Hey guys, what's going on over there?" She asked.

Ai and Mai finally saw what was going on, noticing she was as frozen as an ice sculpture, making the trio walk over to their friend to see what was up.

"Hey Tohka, what's..."

It was right then they saw her eyes watering a bit, despite no tears had formed yet.

"What happened? Did someone do something to you?" Mai questioned.

"No, it's not that, it's just... the other day, we found out Rinne was a Spirit, and... she hasn't been herself since then. I tried to talk to her this morning, even offered to postpone my date with Shido, but she told me not to. So, when I finally got to school, I just..." Tohka explained.

At that moment, tears finally fell out of her eyes as she let out a sad whimper.

The sight of that face made all three members of the Gossip Trio gasp, pulling her into a group hug before she could properly register it.

"You don't need to say anymore!" Ai exclaimed.

"Don't shed any tears on your pure, lovely face! You don't want Shido worrying about you later!" Mai exclaimed.

"What they said, because I can't think of a third thing to say!" Mii exclaimed.

Tohka could only blink in confusion, and just when she was about to say something, Ai pressed a finger on her mouth to silence her.

"Let us help you out, we have an idea." Ai smiled.

Right at that moment, Shido was about to walk into the room, when all of a sudden...

"Shido! Shido!" Mio shouted.

He nearly fell over as he saw his main girlfriend rush over to him, panting heavily as she breathed heavily with a big smile on her face.

"What happened? Based on your face, I'm guessing something like a free all you can eat buffet full of ice cream?" Shido asked.

"No, I think I finally saw her!" Mio exclaimed, her eyes having stars in them.

Shido blinked, lacking the context to understand what she was trying to tell him. Mio blushed as it took her a few seconds to realize this.

"I mean that I finally saw the Avatar of Ain!" She clarified.

And that caused Shido to flinch heavily, with Mio assuming her words caught him off-guard, rather than the reality of Shido being afraid of them making contact while Phantom's true allegiance was uncertain.

"Uh... Mio, are you sure about that?" He replied.

"What do you mean?" Mio asked, looking confused.

"Well... Aura came to us directly, as did Sophie, so wouldn't she have directly come to you? It isn't like she would have trouble knowing where you were when Aura and Sophie can always find you." Shido suggested.

Mio paused for a moment, taking a moment to process all the possibilities based on what she heard.

"Oh, guess I mistook what I saw for something else." She realized, blushing in embarrassment.

Shido shook his head and then dipped her towards the ground slightly, planting a big kiss on her. Mio's face went red and released some steam in response.

Once she was back on her feet, she smiled a little.

"W-What was that sudden kiss about?" She asked.

"No reason, I just thought you looked cute with that embarrassed blush and it got me in the mood." He answered.

Mio smiled at that, following her boyfriend into class as she began to happy mumble.

* * *

A panicking Miku could be seen in her classroom as she called Shiori about everything for the last day of her concert, nearly hyperventilating as she did.

"Everything's set for it to happen at night, right!?" She asked.

"Like I said, we've got everything taken care of. Don't stress yourself into growing a pimple." Shiori reassured her.

Miku gasped at that, feeling her face.

"I'm kidding, you can't give yourselves pimples that way." She joked.

Miku relaxed, though her classmates all knew Shiori had just lied to her.

"And we've already got the outfits finished as well, meaning all that's left for you to do is sing." Shiori continued.

"OK, if you say so." Miku replied.

"You've got a big show to finish, and don't forget the reveal you have at the end. Everyone's gonna love hearing that since it means you'll be spreading your songs and getting ideas for new ones." Shiori smiled.

The Spirit Idol giggled in response.

"I need to focus on class now, so see you later sweetie." She said, winking at the end.

"OK, bye." Shiori replied.

She hung up as Miku put her phone away, taking a deep breath as she tried to ease her nerves the best she could.

"I really need a kiss from her or Shido right now." She whispered to herself.

Pausing for a moment, she gasped before standing up, surprising everyone.

"Duh, me and Shido are in school right now! I can easily go get a kiss from him! Everyone, out of my way!" Miku shouted.

Everyone cleared a path for her as she ran out of the room.

* * *

Outside of Tenguu City's borders, an area of land with ruins covered by 30 years of plant growth that had overrun them could be seen as Phantom warped into view.

 **"Tell me, are you currently hiding in this area... Hecatoncheires?"** She asked.

Right as she said that, the giant DeNA machine flew into view, making Phantom giggle as she saw it.

 **"Impressive."** Phantom praised.

"And earning your praise is hard."

One of Hecatoncheires' eyes projected a virtual screen in front of Phantom's form, showing the DeNA leader, their appearance and gender shrouded in darkness as usual.

"I assume you've been setting up everything as we agreed on?" The Leader asked.

 **"I have, and with the Zadkiel and Jophiel Crystals now within range, all that's left is for the remaining Sephira Crystals to forge their bonds. As for all the Spirits I've made contact with..."** Phantom answered.

Holding out her finger, a stream of energy in the colors of rainbow, white, violet, red, indigo, and pink fired into the Hecatoncheires, making its body glow.

"Excellent, now things will be _truly_ interesting." The leader smiled.

Phantom gave a curtsy before vanishing from view, signaling the Hecatoncheires to continue its path towards Tenguu City.

* * *

Near a small plaza square in the shopping area, Tohka could be seen waiting as she held a mirror up, fixing her hair slightly.

She had been waiting for Shido for over 20 minutes.

"Let's see, that looks good. What about this?" She said to herself.

At the moment, while still wearing her signature butterfly ribbon, her current attire was a fancier version of her casual clothes. It consisted of a frilled pink dress shirt with a second white layer of thrills underneath and slightly poofy sleeves, a simple string necklace with a gold ring charm and a small turquoise gem hanging from the chain link holding the ring, pale blue jean shorts, and brown sneakers.

As she kept looking at herself, she heard the sound of footsteps as she saw Shido approaching.

"Shido, you made it!" She cheered, throwing her mirror away.

The mirror landed on Kotori's hand, making her wince as it was revealed that she, Mio, and Origami were all hiding in the nearby bushes.

"Ow!" She whispered loudly.

"Good thing she didn't get 7 years of bad luck. To be fair, that's only because we all agreed we should watch over her while she's on her date." Mio giggled.

Shido paused once she saw Tohka, making her blink.

"What's the matter Shido?" She asked, looking worried.

"You... look really pretty, that's all." Shido answered.

Tohka said and did nothing, but eventually it was shown she had a delayed reaction as she went red and released steam from her ears.

"Whoa..." She squeaked.

Mio struggled not to laugh at the cuteness of her squeaking sound.

"So, what d-do you... want to do for our... d-date?" Tohka asked.

"Uh... I don't know." Shido admitted.

"You don't know? I thought you planned Kotori's date, so how can you not know!?" Tohka exclaimed.

"Sorry, but unlike the others, I don't really know enough about you, and I don't think you do either." Shido admitted.

Hearing that, Tohka's face suddenly got angry as her hair floated a little.

"Did you just call me stupid!?" She screamed, her teeth now like a shark's.

"Huh? N-No, I'm just saying that... well, you haven't really interacted with this world beyond Spacequake for so long, that you really haven't shown too much interest beyond Kinako Bread! You did just ask me what our date should be about, right?" He asked.

Tohka's hair and teeth changed back, giving a blushing smile as she held her cheeks.

"Oh, I guess that does make sense. I really don't know enough about myself when it comes to my interests and such." Tohka apologized.

Mio sighed in relief at that.

"He barely managed to dodge that bullet, didn't he?" She remarked.

"I was genuinely afraid for a moment." Origami confessed, still shaking a bit.

Shido rubbed his head a bit.

"How about we start with some food while I try to think up a few ideas?" Shido suggested.

Tohka looked a bit sad.

"Sorry, I'm not hungry right now..." She apologized.

*"GRUMBLE!"*

Shido raised an eye, while Tohka wondered where that came from, as she knew that was _not_ her stomach she heard.

The others all ducked, with Mio blushing as she held her rumbling stomach.

"I should have eaten more before we came!" Mio whispered embarrassingly.

"Don't worry, there's an all you can eat buffet today, I'll take you there while Kotori keeps watch and lets us know of anything important." Origami replied.

"Why me?" Kotori asked.

Origami tapped Mio, then shifted her movement as she reappeared far away, making Kotori's eyes widen.

"Oh..."

"Tohka, are you sure you aren't hungry?" Shido asked.

"I know you're thinking, but that was _not_ me." Tohka replied.

Shido scratched his head at that.

"Alright, then I need to figure out something for us to do before... wait, I've got an idea!" He exclaimed.

Tohka tilted her head, wondering what it was.

* * *

Rinne was seen sighing as she walked through the town, stopping by a fountain as she looked at her reflection, silently staring as she saw the face of Sarah, her past life.

"I'm not her, nor am I the person that I knew myself as for the past year. I'm just... here." She thought aloud.

Walking by, someone noticed her sad look before walking up to her, tapping her before hugging on her arm, getting her attention as she saw it was... a rabbit puppet with an eye patch over its right eye?

Looking up, she saw Yoshino smiling at her with said rabbit puppet on her left hand, also having a second rabbit puppet on her right hand with closed eyes and eyelashes.

"Huh? Oh, you're Kotori's classmate and friend... Yoshino, right?" Rinne realized.

"Yep." She nodded.

"And... why are you carrying those puppets with you?" Rinne asked.

"I sometimes do a puppet show at the local Daycare Center. This is Hop, and this is Scotch." Yoshino answered, holding up her right and left hands in response.

Rinne just blinked, having no idea what to say.

"If that name joke didn't make you laugh, then it's obvious you're feeling down about something. What's wrong?" Yoshino asked.

"Uh, well..." Rinne replied.

She paused for a moment, realizing that Kotori may have not told her about the Spirit thing, and shouldn't say it.

"Ah, this is about your finding out you're a Spirit, isn't it?" Yoshino realized.

Rinne's eyes widened at that.

"They told you about that?" She exclaimed, holding her head.

"Spirits aren't exactly a secret in Japan anymore." Yoshino mentioned.

"Oh... right." Rinne realized.

Yoshino sat by her, placing her pair of puppets into her backpack.

"I won't make you talk about it if you don't want to, but holding it in will be just as bad if you wait too long." She mentioned.

Rinne sighed, glancing the direction opposite from Yoshino's.

"Learning what I was... completely shattered the world as I knew it. How I met my father, my history, even knowing my sense of self. Before this, I thought I was just a normal human girl who lost her memories and had a loving father, even though I knew I was adopted. Now that I know the first two things are false... I don't know who I am." Rinne answered.

Yoshino paused for a moment, wondering how to reply to that.

"I'll be honest, I don't really understand what you're going through, but the one thing I can say? I think you're thinking too hard about what defines who you are." She stated.

"Huh?" Rinne blinked.

"Look at the water behind us. Most of our bodies are made of this, and I think that helps show how similar we are to it, as things are clearer when we let ourselves settle, because we aren't defined by one shape. Water can freeze up in place, or even heat into steam that goes everywhere, but... I think what we truly have in common with water? Every drop defines it." Yoshino smiled.

Rinne paused for a moment, starting to notice what she was saying.

"We have a past we've already a lived, a future we'll be in one day, but most important? There's the version of us in the present. The drops in here may have once been on the other side of the world, and may one day go back, but that alone doesn't define this water as anything... but water." Yoshino continued.

"It isn't defined by anything but what is already is..." Rinne said quietly.

Yoshino closed her eyes, standing up as she directly looked at Rinne's face.

"So, ask yourself this. What defines the name of Rinne Sonogami?" She asked.

Rinne watched her walk off, leaving her with a lot to think about as she put a hand over her heart.

"Have I really been thinking too hard about it?" Rinne wondered.

As she sat there, a certain thought chose to echo in her mind.

 _"Just... know I'm here to talk whenever you feel like it." Tohka's voice echoed._

She gasped at that.

"Aw man, you were trying to help me feel better and I totally blew you off... I need to apologize later." Rinne said to herself.

Taking out her ticket to Miku's, she took a deep breath and held it close.

* * *

Looking at where Shido brought her, Tohka screamed at the top of her lungs, making Shido and everyone inside cover their ears.

"I can't believe this place is real!" She shouted.

"Tohka, inside voice!" Shido whispered.

"Oh, right... sorry about that." Tohka apologized.

Looking around, she fully took in the marine life that was swimming throughout the aquarium. There were sharks, turtles, many kinds of fish, crabs, jellyfish, and even a whale!

Her favorite was the Dolphin that swam near her, clapping in response.

"I was expecting you to have taken me to some kind of fish restaurant because you still didn't believe I wasn't hungry, but this is the neatest thing ever. Who knew so much life lived on this world besides Humans?" Tohka stated, smiling at the sights before her.

"Maybe I should take you to a zoo and aviary next, so you can see everything that lives _above_ water." Shido suggested.

"Really? Yes! A million times, yes!" Tohka agreed.

Shido giggled as he took Tohka by the hand, leading her to their next location. Kotori watched from a distance, smiling at how things were going well for Tohka's date.

* * *

Afternoon quickly arrived, with Shido and Tohka near Tenguu Viewpoint, the spot they first met one another.

"Today was really fun, thanks for taking me." Tohka smiled.

"You're welcome. Now that it's over... tell me, were you thinking about Rinne the whole time? Is that why you didn't seem very hungry?" Shido replied, looking concerned.

She lowered her eyes a bit at that.

"I said we could postpone this date if we had to, but she insisted I go. Mio told me I shouldn't force it if she wasn't ready to talk with me." Tohka confirmed.

Shido nodded his head.

"That was a good idea. Sometimes you need to find the right moment, and it can be hard to know when that is." He agreed.

"Yeah, and... it made me remember something." Tohka admitted.

Shido looked at her in confusion.

"I was so angry when we first met, that I had completely forgotten this one time someone was kind to me. It was so brief and small at the time that I didn't remember it. However, now I do, and how it gave me enough reason to trust you when you and I spoke in that quarantine room." Tohka continued.

Tohka closed her eyes as she felt the memory returned to her.

* * *

 _Limping towards some kind of park in the middle of the night, a weakened Tohka growled at her most recent escape from the DeNA's Bandersnatch._

 _"Damn it... damn it!" Tohka screamed._

 _Falling onto the ground, Tohka released a few weakened breaths._

 _As she laid there, someone gave a silent gasp and ran over to her._

 _"Hey, you OK?" They asked._

 _Tohka moved her eyes towards whoever ran her way, noticing they were female, tall, and had... blonde brown hair? She couldn't tell, as her vision was too blurred for her to make out any specific details._

 _"Get away..." Tohka grunted, barely able to speak._

 _"Don't be like that, I'll help you out. Just stay calm and relax yourself." She replied, looking at her arm._

 _Before she knew it, Tohka blacked out entirely._

 _She then gasped as her mind woke up, but by that time, it was morning again. Looking at herself, she saw she was fully healed, even looking at the arm she knew the girl touched._

 _"How did this..."_

 _A note fell out of her sleeve, which had a simple message on it._

 ** _You're welcome._**

* * *

Opening her eyes as the memory, she looked at Shido.

"If it really was the reason? Then I'm glad whoever that was showed kindness to you that day." He smiled.

"Yeah, but I do wonder..." Tohka replied.

Shido blinked as Tohka looked at the ground, wondering something about that memory.

"Who was it exactly?" She wondered.

Hearing that, Shido chuckled a bit, causing her to look at him in confusion.

"I don't mean to laugh, you just implied your answer would be something more serious than what you just said." He apologized, still giggling a bit.

"Oh!" Tohka exclaimed.

She began laughing with him, soon holding her stomach slightly.

After a minute or two, they both stopped.

"Shido, I'm going to back and see if I can get Rinne to talk with me now. You should spend some time with Mio." Tohka decided.

"Huh? But... she's nowhere near here." Shido replied in confusion.

"Oh no, she's been following us with Origami and Kotori since we began this date." She clarified.

Mio jumped out of the bushes in surprise, making Shido shriek in shock.

"You knew!?" Mio shouted.

"I figured it out after the aquarium visit. Only your stomach could growl like that, considering your gigantic appetite." Tohka replied, giggling slightly.

Mio laughed a bit as Origami and Kotori revealed themselves.

"Come on, we should get ready for the concert." Kotori suggested.

"See you two there." Origami smiled, waving at them.

Mio and Shido watched as they all left, the night slowly starting to creep in as the sun set over the horizon, which they used to start fully walking towards Tenguu Viewpoint.

"You have something on your mind, don't you?" She asked.

"I do, it's about Rinne... and how now that I'm thinking about her situation, about all the other Spirits currently out there and who _will_ be out there." Shido confessed.

"I see." Mio realized.

They stopped at the viewpoint's railings, Shido sighing a bit.

"Rinne's situation isn't the same as Tohka despite their origins, so I don't know how to help her. It really makes me realize every Spirit is so different from you or Tohka." He stated.

"Dummy, that's not true and you know it." Mio smiled.

"Wait, what?" Shido blinked, looking confused.

Mio took his hand in hers.

"The Spirits are all the same as each other, the same as me." She smiled, not a bit of doubt or hesitation on her face or in her words.

Shido paused as he listened.

"Remember, we've all had you here for us. You saved me, I didn't even know I needed you, but I did. Then you rushed after me, and when I was truly about to give up on myself... you reached through the storm and gave me your heart." Mio continued.

"Mio..." He breathed.

Mio's face briefly frowned for a bit, but it was more to show a brief moment of seriousness through her words.

"If I hadn't met you or Shin... I most likely would have ended up living the same life Reine did, so the only difference between us and the Spirits still out there? It's the fact we still haven't reached out our hands to them." She declared, wrapping her own around his.

Shido closed his eyes for a moment, then opening them as he smiled.

"Thanks Mio, you've made me remember Spirits and Humans aren't as different as they appear." He smiled.

"Does that mean you're not doubting yourself anymore?" Mio asked.

"Not quite, I have reason to be worried and fear what kind of challenges we'll face next, but... that's normal for anyone. What it does mean is now I'm more confident in being able to face those feelings when the time comes." Shido replied.

"And we'll be there to protect you when you fall." Mio smiled.

Both of them leaned onto their shoulders, deciding to stay like this for a while longer, without having to ask the other if they could.

* * *

Another hour passed until Ten-Oh Square could be seen lit up with many colorful lights, only with the rooftop opened just for this occasion. Miku could already be seen on stage as began singing her first song of the night.

 **[** **Date A Live II: Trust in You - Halfway Mark** **]**

She shook her hips to three quick yet loud beats that went off.

 _"Running across the fields! Flying through across the skies! I trust in you, as I hope you also trust in me!"_ Miku sang, bouncing around like she was spinning across a field like in the lyrics she just sang.

 _"That's the faith I have in me and you."_ She smiled, winking to crowd.

She quickly crossed her hands before spreading them out, twirling around twice as they all released loud cheers.

 _"The light is shining beyond the shining sun, like a gleaming supernova! Now my heart is beating faster than speed of light! So, please run to me, and I'll look deep into your eyes!"_ She sang, motioning her hands around to represent strong winds.

 _"Oh baby, I trust in you!"_ Miku raised a hand up slowly, smiling as she closed her eyes.

 _"Oh baby, I trust in you!"_ She repeated, opening her eyes.

She began dancing with the last few beats until finally, she posed the same way did to mark the end of her Monochrome song.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

Everyone released loud cheers as Miku waved to her fans, quickly blowing them all a kiss. While that was happening, Rinne looked around for where Tohka could be, looking worried as she couldn't find any trace of her.

"Tohka!?" Rinne shouted, barely hearing herself over the crowd.

Rushing out of the area, she eventually neared the stairs that lead to the area Shido's group watched from, right as Tohka walked down.

*"BONK!"*

Their heads collided at that moment, causing both to groan in pain.

"Ow... hi there Tohka." Rinne winced.

"Rinne, didn't think you'd come... good to see you though." Tohka replied, rubbing her head as it throbbed a bit.

Both of them shook it off and looked at each other, with Rinne looking a bit nervous.

"I... wanted to apologize for this morning. I just wanted to ignore everything, and I didn't even let you try to help me." She apologized.

"Don't feel too bad, I only stopped like you asked because I felt I should let you be ready to talk with me." Tohka reassured her.

Silence followed for a bit.

"Look Tohka, I... I really don't understand how I feel about this yet, but... you're like me, right?" Rinne mentioned.

"Yeah, my past life was someone the people of DEM knew as children, and I only learned this recently." Tohka confirmed.

"Then... maybe you can slowly help me come to terms with myself?" Rinne suggested.

Tohka smiled at that, hugging Rinne close to her surprise, though she quickly smiled before turning the gesture. From a distance, Yoshino was seen smiling at the sight, glad her words helped her out.

'I had a feeling everything would work out. Though if that's the case, then maybe I should try trusting my own choices with Spirits and tell them about the gem?' She thought.

Right as that was going on, the Hecatoncheires hid itself slightly by the edge of Tenguu Crater, soon releasing a wave that washed over the city and did... something to it.

Meanwhile, back on stage, Miku had already changed into her next outfit as she prepared to sing her final song.

"Thank you for being here everyone. I'm about to bring my newest song out, and once that's done? I'll truly end my concert with a special something I've had planned for a while, so I'd like you all to get ready for my new song... _I Swear_!" She announced.

Everyone cheered at that, and right as the music began...

 **"WARNING! YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE, THIS IS NOT A DRILL! THERE HAVE BEEN PRECURSORY SIGNS OF AN IMPENDING ATTACK BY THE DeNA! PLEASE EVACUATE TO YOUR NEAREST SHELTER! I REPEAT!"**

Miku gasped as she heard that, with everyone rushing to get to safety.

However, before anyone could get far, the alarm changed to an even worse sound to show a further danger immediately following it.

 **"DANGER! ACCESS TO ALL SHELTERS HAS BEEN COMPROMISED, EVACUATION IS CURRENTLY IMPOSSIBLE! PLEASE WAIT FOR FURTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS OR INSTRUCTIONS!"**

That caught the attention of Shido's group.

"No way, the shelters can't be accessed? What's going on!?" Kotori questioned, sweating a bit.

"Isn't this like what happened with the vehicles?" Origami recalled.

"It can't be, last time happened due to the DeNA surprising the DEM, and they've given us an alternate means of communication since then." Shido replied.

He held out an intercom just for emphasis.

"Shido's right, whatever's causing this specifically hit the Shelters, and most likely before it triggered the alarm." Mio realized.

Right as she said that, strange flashes appeared from the sky, making everyone look up to see it.

 **[** **Date A Live the Movie: Cherubim** **]**

Hundreds of red glows circled around a certain area, eventually making blackness ebb off... until finally, wings and many gears could be seen, revealing Hecatoncheires' form to the crowd!

Everyone gasped as its eyes all opened up, and it released a loud screech.

"What... the hell... is that!?" Kotori exclaimed, realizing how big it was.

"That's not an ordinary DeNA machine. I can't tell why, but... something's clearly different about it." Mio stated, her eyes shaking at the sight.

Its eyes moved as a green diamond cut appeared on its body, preparing to fire.

"No, everyone's in the line of fire!" Shido screamed.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

Upon realizing this from their satellites, Westcott immediately turned to Kannazuki.

"Activate the emergency defenses, now!" He ordered.

"Roger that!" Kannazuki replied, putting on a headset.

The walls and ceiling of DEM HQ had some hidden panels open, firing off multiple realizers that immediately scattered themselves over the city.

 **"BOUND UP!"**

All of them began glowing a bright gold color in response.

 **[** **Date A Live II: Stormy Date** **]**

The Hecatoncheires attack fired off, only to hit a giant magic circle of the same color, protecting everyone inside before the Spirits even had to react, making them gasp in surprise.

"Alright AST, time to deploy!" Ellen shouted, tapping her ear.

All of the wizards within the DEM rushed towards a certain area.

As that was happening, Westcott pressed a few buttons, causing all the radio stations to link up with the DEM's broadcasting signal.

"Everyone, this is Isaac Westcott of DEM Industries speaking! This is an emergency defense we created after the shelters were recently compromised. Stay calm and where you are, and anyone with a Seirei Ability that can boost power? Use it to keep this barrier up. Right now, it's your only protection." Westcott warned.

Hearing that, the members of Ratatoskr smiled in relief.

"Should have known he prepared this. Now come on guys, we have a machine to scrap." Mio stated.

"Right!" Everyone agreed.

All of the Spirits summoned their Astral Dresses, while Shido climbed onto Mio's back, leaving Miku to watch for a moment. Looking at her fans, she realized what she had to do.

"Keep watch over yourselves everyone." She asked.

That was when she manifested her own Astral Dress, surprising the crowd as she flew up to join the battle.

"Good luck Miku, Shido, everyone..." Shiori whispered.

"Uh..." Yoshino blinked.

"Tohka..." Rinne breathed, holding her hands over her chest.

As everyone flew towards the Hecatoncheires, they saw Miku fly near them, surprising them slightly.

"Miku? Did you really just-" Tohka asked.

"I'm a Spirit too, aren't I? What's important is I used my powers as one to help keep everyone safe." She smiled.

Shido smiled at that.

"Get ready everyone, this isn't like the Bandersnatch forces we've fought before." He warned.

"Here it comes!" Mio exclaimed.

Shifting its attention towards the group, the Hecatoncheires eyes bulged out a bit before firing off its body, revealing them to be likes eggs as they hatched into bird-like automatons called Harpies.

"Uh oh..." Kotori gulped.

Hecatoncheires' green cut returned as it swallowed energy from the air, regenerating its eyes as it repeated the process over and over until a whole army formed.

Right as the ever-growing swarm of Harpies charged lasers to blast the Spirits with...

 **"Rhongomiant!"**

A huge laser cut horizontally through the Harpy army, making hundreds of them explode in an instant.

"That attack, it was..." Tohka remembered.

"You have a good eye." Ellen confirmed.

Looking behind them, everyone from the AST was gathered, right as Leonora aimed her bazooka at automaton forces.

"Fire." She said quietly.

*"BOOM!"*

A huge hole was formed as she blasted through the machines, with Jessica and Ryouko quickly thinned ever further with their slashes.

"We'll deal with these small fries while you take out the boss!" Ryouko shouted.

"Alright, thanks for the assist!" Shido smiled.

The members of Ratatoskr's flew after Hecatoncheires, who widened his eyes and released another group of them. The only difference with these is they spread out and became portals that continuously formed a new Harpy every few seconds.

Jessica and Ellen looked at each other before nodding.

 **"White Licorice!"**  
 **"Scarlet Licorice!"**

Their CR-Units changed as the giant machines attached to their backs, unleashing their armada against the DeNA automatons.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

At that moment, Shido's group finally reached Hecatoncheires.

"Here we go!" Mio exclaimed.

 **"Ain Soph Aur!"**

Unleashing the flower in the air as it bloomed, Aura helped Mio aim her attack.

"Now bloom!" She shouted.

The blasts of light rained across the Hecatoncheires form... only for an Anti-Territory barrier to appear and block the attack entirely. Mio gasped as this happened.

 **"Ain Soph Aur: Henet!"**

Shrinking the flower to unleash its piercing blast, the barrier still held strong without any sign of damage.

"No way, that's impossible!" She shouted.

"It might just be you, let me try!" Origami suggested.

 **"Metatron: Artelif!"**

She unleashed the beam of light she failed to use in her friendly duel against Tohka... only for it to do nothing as it continued to press against the red barrier.

"What?" She gasped, feeling her eyes shake.

Tohka and Kotori gripped their Angels tightly.

"Maybe Miku's might work? Let's give her the opening to give it a sonic scream..." Tohka suggested, sweating a bit.

"Yeah, not like this thing's invincible, right?" Kotori agreed, laughing nervously.

Both of them shouted as they unleashed their respective slash attacks, with Miku inhaling before she blasted out her sonic scream, her eyes briefly rolling back to truly let loose with it.

However, for the third time in a row... the Anti-Territory didn't take any damage!

"No way, none of our attacks are working against that thing..." Shido realized.

Hecatoncheires released its gears before blasts fired at its eyes, somehow making both multiply. The Spirits were all caught off guard as they were left no time to dodge.

"Shido!" Mio shouted, shielding him.

All of them were knocked onto the ground, crashing hard as they did.

Yoshino and Rinne gasped, with the former rushing over as she saw where Kotori landed, right as her healing flames activated. From what she saw, they were burning slower and weaker than they normally would.

"It can't be... has the DeNA truly countered all their abilities?" Rinne thought aloud.

Looking up at the sky, new Harpies were being created much faster than the AST was destroying them, all as Hecatoncheires aimed at them.

"Don't give in! We need to give them time to recover!" Cecile shouted.

"Yeah! No matter what, don't let this thing beat any of us!" Ashley replied.

They all stood their ground as the Hecatoncheires hit them with the same attack, though they managed to keep their ground.

'It'll be OK. They defied the odds last time, didn't they?' Rinne told herself, breathing heavily.

Shido quickly got up, trying to shake Mio awake.

"Come on, wake up! You have to wake up!" He shouted.

'They'll know how to make another miracle, I know they will... it's fine...' She continued, sweat dripping down their face.

Harpies began diving at the barrier, glowing as they exploded against it, slowly making it flicker and crack apart.

"Rinne... I'm sorry..."

She paused as she saw Tohka's weakened form, struggling to move.

Noticing the Spirits were vulnerable and the AST was distracted, the Hecatoncheires prepared to aim a blast at each of them, making Shido pale as he tried to hurry his efforts.

"Oh no, don't let it fire!" Leonora warned.

Unfortunately, more of the Harpies began clinging to them, slowing them down and keeping them away. As Rinne saw this, her eyes dilated, and finally... she released a loud scream in response.

"LEAVE THEM ALONE!"

A pink light shot into the sky, blowing all the Harpies away and causing the Hecatoncheires' attack to misfire.

The braid in Rinne's hair was undone as it grew out, eventually becoming long enough that Ellen's eyes widen.

"Of course... you're Sarah's reincarnation..." She realized.

 **[** **Date A Live: Opening - Instrumental** **]**

Opening her eyes, Rinne rose her hand into the air.

 **"Adonai Elohim!"**

Pink petals surrounded her as her Astral Dress formed, taking the shape of a purple and white dress looking like that of some royal leader's, with extensions on her shoulders and hips, as well as a decorated headdress with a golden emblem at the center.

 **"Shekhinah!"**

In her hand, various petals strung together and chained themselves together into a whip.

"It's time for you to go back to whatever scrapyard you were born from!" Rinne exclaimed.

 **"Shekhinah: Paradise Lost!"**

Swinging her whip out, the chained links spread as a vine kept them connected, spiraling around the automaton army as it slashed them into ribbons.

"Amazing." Cecile breathed.

"So, that's the power of the Spirit that represents Da'ath Elyon... it's incredible." Jessica praised.

Rinne took a deep breath, holding out her hands.

 **"Shekhinah: Eden!"**

A pink dome washed over the area, causing the AST and all the Spirits to glow as they felt their tensions and stress disappear, which helped the latter group get back on their feet.

"Huh? What... what just happened?" Tohka asked, looking at her hands.

"Tohka!"

Rinne flew down and hugged her tight.

"Wait, that hair... is it-" She gasped.

"Yeah, it's me. Maybe I'm still not sure how to feel about what I am... but that doesn't mean I shouldn't use my powers to help everyone now." Rinne replied, smiling.

Tohka smiled back, summoning Sandalphon back into her right hand.

"Come on, let's regain the others." Tohka said, offering her left hand.

Rinne accepted it, and the two quickly flew high in the sky, where Shido and the others were already waiting for them.

"Welcome to the team." Mio smiled.

"We're happy to have you with us, Rinne." Shido agreed, flashing a thumb's up.

She gave a light blush at the praise they gave her, rubbing the back of her neck.

"There's still the one issue though." Origami mentioned.

"Right, we aren't in any better position than before, not as long as this DeNA machine's Anti-Territory shrugs off everything we through at it." Kotori mentioned.

"If only we had more power..." Miku thought aloud.

At that moment, she gasped as an idea hit her, getting everyone's attention.

"Did you think of something?" Mio asked.

"Buy me some time, I need Shiori's help to make this work." Miku smiled.

She flew towards Ten-Oh Square.

"Uh... what was that about?" Rinne asked.

"I have no idea, so let's trust in her plan." Mio replied.

Everyone turned their attention towards the Hecatoncheires, right as Ellen flew near the group.

"We can help you buy time if needed." She offered.

"Thanks Ellen, because depending on how long Miku takes with her plan? We might just need it." Shido replied.

They all charged ahead, knowing the battle was far from over.

* * *

 **Goodbye Tohka's date and Miku's concert, and hello storm! Hecatoncheires is here, ready to cause danger, and worst of all... it looks like Phantom and the DeNA have been allies for who knows how long. Whatever she's been helping them with, it seems that making the Sephira Crystals bond to the others is actually part of their plans, and the DEM finding Zadkiel and Jophiel marks the end of this task.**

 **The good news is that Rinne has finally awakened her powers and joined the fight. Before I say anymore more, know that Rinne's hair looks as it does in the CG where Shido's holding her before she disappears, as having those braids makes her and Ren look too similar. Anyways, she's already using Shekhinah well, which I made a whip because of how Shin Tenguu Tower attacks in her game, and Raphael El Na'ash is one.**

 **There was also a small scene with Yoshino, showing up to help Rinne while giving a slight cameo for Yoshinon through a normal puppet, since whatever caused the Yoshinon personality to be born can't happen in this story. As for why she has these puppets? Considering Zadkiel takes the form of a giant rabbit Mecha, it made sense for her to have Yoshinon and her Inverse Puppet to form the basis for her Angel's form once she becomes a Spirit.**

 **And we've finally revealed the identities of the Hermetic Trio's two daughters, so if anyone thought it was Maria and Marina? Congrats on guessing it right! While it might seem odd that I had their fathers be the opposite men, since they weren't created, I decided on that by their personality traits. To those that ask, the traits are from V14+ and Rio Reincarnation.**

 **Maria has shown to be a bit snarky and sarcastic, one of my favorite moments being telling Shido she isn't angry at him after Rinne's reappearance makes him forget her for a bit, all with a fake smile that scares Shido. That felt like a mix of Westcott in general, and Ellen's more confident side. Marina is basically a mature Nibelcole, being playful and seductive, but easily angered. That felt like a mix of Elliot's kindhearted nature, and Ellen's short temper.**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	15. Song of the Spirits

**Here it is everyone, today is the anniversary of Spiritual Successor's first chapter! Get ready, because this anniversary chapter is going to reveal a lot of truths, finish the epic battle against the Hecatoncheires, bring out a few surprises I can't mention due to spoilers, and most of all... you're about to see Shido pulling out some new tricks that will be vital to how Ratatoskr will win this fight!**

 **I'm glad all of you have been with me through this journey, and now that we've made it this far? I'm happy to announce that updates will no longer be limited to once a month! Also, since we just had V20 released... along with all the shock it gave us, some of you may be wondering if there will be anything from it that I'll be incorporating into the story, and I'll say there is, which includes a new way that Yoshino can use Zadkiel.**

 **One slight change I need to mention is after seeing the last episode of Origami's arc in the anime? I've made one small change with her Angel, said change being that Metatron's pillars now make an unconnected version of her crown/halo (think of that spiky halo in her canon inverse form) when her Astral Dress is formed, which then grow in size before positioning themselves in their Mal'akh formation by default.**

 **Also, this chapter is part of two arcs. The first half being the end of Miku's arc and the rest being the start of the next arc, which I won't reveal the name of until we reach the end notes, though I can say that this is the last we'll be seeing of Tenguu City got a while. That's already been implied for a while, and considering this is the anniversary chapter? I'd be crazy to delay their journey any longer.**

 **Anyways, since I can't say anymore without spoiling a majority of the events you're about to see? Let the anniversary chapter of Spiritual Successor begin!**

* * *

 **[Chapter 15 - Song of the Spirits]**

All the members of Ratatoskr and the AST were flying around as the Hecatoncheires and its Harpy army continued their assault, still no sign of the DEM's side making any progress in overcoming the machine's immunity to all their attacks.

Mio shouted as she held out her hands, blasting its Anti-Territory barrier using Ain, with even that having no effect against the powerful defense.

"Even my strongest Angel isn't doing anything against this nightmarish machine!" She shouted, sweating a bit.

The Hecatoncheires prepared its next attack, firing off another flurry of attacks. Ellen quickly turned to her fellow AST and whistled, getting her fellow wizards' attention as they turned to face her.

"Form a defensive wall, now!" She ordered.

"Right!" Everyone replied.

The AST gathered and united their territory barriers, followed by Ellen focusing a glare as she held her hand out, reshaping it into a mere wall that held against the attack. When the flurry ended, Ellen panted from the strength it took to completely hold the defense.

"It doesn't matter how strong this thing was made, because there has to be a reason for why it has such a near perfect defense. We just need to find out what it is." She stated.

Mio's eyes widened at that.

"Hold on... all of us have attacked, but the only one who hasn't tried to directly hit it is..." She realized.

"Mio, what is it?" Shido asked.

"I have a theory. Rinne, try attacking that machine's barrier with all the power you can force into one blow, I need to see if something happens!" Mio shouted.

Rinne was surprised by that.

"Uh... not sure where this is going, but if you think it'll give us answers? Then here I go!" She replied.

She pulled her Angel back.

" **Shekhinah: Paradise Lost!** "

Once again, Shekhinah's form spread out and slashed across the area, this time sending out a storm of Samsara petals because of the wider range she was going for. There was no damage to the Hecatoncheires barrier as expected... and then Mio saw it.

A few rogue petals, which were moving as if something pushed them away as they headed towards the giant machine's form.

"That's it!" She exclaimed.

"What did you see?" Rinne asked, ceasing her attack.

"Some of your petals moved outside their intended patterns, like a flow of energy passed through them, and that let me figure out why none of our attacks are working!" Mio answered.

"We're listening." Tohka replied.

"That machine has traces of all our power inside of it, which is giving it the ability to negate our attacks!" Mio revealed.

Everyone gasped at that.

"I don't get it. You got through Alice's Anti-Territory without any problems, so why is this machine any different?" Shido questioned, looking confused.

"But I also didn't have all my powers back at the time, so residue we left on Alice after defeating her could have been used to up the DeNA's defenses against my attacks. Though for the main reason this thing is negating them? I think it's sucking in Reiryoku from the air, which it's likely using to create the endless machines by simply making copies of a single unit inside of it, and all that power could also be boosting its Anti-Territory shields." Mio explained.

"Mio's probably right about this. Reiryoku is an evolution of magic, which could defy physics if it had an endless supply." Ellen mentioned, confident in Mio's theory.

Origami thought on that for a moment, noticing one other problem.

"But then how did she get Rinne and Miku's traces? Especially when Miku only just discovered her powers a few days ago?" Origami asked.

"I'm not sure about Miku, but we know a DeNA wizard attacked my crystal. They likely got a trace of my powers through that." Rinne mentioned.

Origami paled at that, looking at Mio as she nodded.

"That's right Origami. While it's true that Miku didn't know of her powers, and the DeNA didn't attack her due to the repercussions of what would look like an assassination attempt on a famous idol, her singing still had Reiryoku traces in it." Mio confirmed.

"So, combine that with Alice's claim that she's fought Spirits the DEM hasn't detected yet, and Rinne may have counted as one of them..." Shido gasped in realization.

"All they had to do is send someone to her concert and make a device to collect the Reiryoku influencing them or in the air. Under that logic, they had little to no trouble getting a trace of Miku's powers." Mio answered.

Ellen gritted her teeth upon hearing that, clearly annoyed by how the Hecatoncheires defenses were basically a video game cheat code.

"That means we have no hope of getting through without a Spirit they don't know about. We're screwed!" Kotori shouted in frustration.

Hearing those words, the Hecatoncheires and Harpy army all released sounds as if to mock the DEM forces, quickly earning the ire of Ellen as she slashed many of the Harpies to shreds with a feral scream.

"I'd like to break the rules on those DeNA bastards at least once!" Ellen roared.

"Yeah, like making a new power out of nowhere that this thing has no defenses against." Shido agreed, glaring at the machine.

Mio's eyes widened at that.

"A new power... the trace of one Spirit passed onto me... Shido and I are linked together..." She whispered to herself.

It finally hit her, what the second crystal of his nameless Angel could do.

"Shido, bring out your Angel! I may have just figured out a way to take out that shield!" Mio exclaimed.

"You did!?" Everyone shouted in surprise.

"Possibly. It's only a theory right now, but a theory I have a good hunch about." Mio admitted.

Ellen readied Caledfwlch.

"We've had such horrible luck in this battle, so I'll accept a plan based on a theory over no plan at all. Me and the AST will buy you some time!" She declared.

"Go get them girl!" Kotori cheered.

Flashing a thumb's up at her, Ellen lead the AST to distract the Hecatoncheires and Harpy army for a bit longer.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside DEM's HQ, everyone was watching the battle as Maria and Marina snuck into the control room.

"Why are in here again?" Marina asked.

"Because we're stealing the Fraxinus that I'm sure Shinji didn't tell Westcott he wants us to be part of the crew for, and we don't have the access card or the keys." Maria answered.

Hearing that last bit, Marina held up a card.

"Where did you get that?" Maria asked.

"Shinji gave this to me because he knew we'd need to sneak on. The keys on the other hand?" Marina answered.

Maria nodded, and the two quickly glanced around the room as they spotted their father.

"Any requests?" Marina asked.

"How about a classic, such as-"

Maria whispered into her twin's ear, which made Marina smile.

Aiming her finger at a console, it briefly glowed before finally...

*"SCREAM!"*

Everyone jumped at the source of that sound, turning to the right as Maria aimed at her father's seat, making one of its wires disconnect and move to swing the keys into her hands.

"He is going to be _so_ mad at us later..." Maria mentioned.

"But it's _totally_ worth it." Marina replied.

They gave each other a high five before running off, quickly reaching the docking bay where the Fraxinus was being housed.

"One access card, present." Marina smiled.

She swiped it through, and then rushed in to see the now completed ship inside.

"I call driver!" Maria shouted.

"Dang it..." Marina groaned.

They quickly got inside and sat down on one of the many chairs, with Maria quickly turning the keys to activate the ship.

*"SIREN!"*

The Arusu twins quickly froze at that, with Maria immediately turning towards her sister.

"Quick, get the hangar open!" She exclaimed.

Marina quickly nodded, placing her hand on the console as her Seirei Ability registered her as an authorized user.

 _"Access granted!"_ The system announced.

With that, the Fraxinus began taking lift off, right as alarms alerted the analysts of the ship's departure.

"One of our ship's is leaving without our authorization!" Kawagoe warned.

"Can you tell which one?" Elliot asked.

"No way, it's... the Fraxinus!?" Minowa gasped.

Westcott's eyes froze upon hearing that, immediately reaching into his pocket to find the keys... only to feel nothing.

"Elliot, our children are in there!" He screamed.

"They're what!?" Elliot screamed in horror.

And with that, they watched as the Fraxinus began flying towards the Hecatoncheires' location.

* * *

Shido manifested his Angel, then looked at Mio.

"OK, we've got my Angel out, so... mind telling us what your theory is?" He asked, briefly glancing at the AST's struggle.

"Watch and learn... hopefully." Mio replied, releasing a nervous gulp.

Mio grabbed Tohka and Origami's hands, due to them being the closest to her, and placed them over the two crystals... making them glow.

Everyone watched as the two Spirits released ring-shaped pulses of their respective colors.

"I feel like there's some kind of light welling up inside me... Origami, do you feel anything?" Tohka gasped, her Astral Dress glowing white.

"I do, but it's more of a surge of energy." Origami replied, her Astral Dress glowing purple.

Before answering, Mio let out a sigh of relief.

"Shido, when you had a trace of Miku's power inside of your Angel before I absorbed it, I noticed only one crystal lit up. Because of that, you mentioning a new power made me think... what if your Angel could fuse the power of two Spirits together?" She explained.

Everyone's eyes widened at that.

"Merging the power of two Sephira Crystals together? Is that even possible?" Kotori questioned.

"I think it is. When I brought Shido back to life, we were linked together, so that has to represent why his Angel has two crystals that make its form. Then, if you also add how our powers already represent the traits of the Sephirot..." Mio replied.

"The original 22 paths which connected the ten Sephira, they were related to how the power of Da'ath manifested on the world!" Origami realized.

Mio nodded, making Shido look at his Angel.

"Alright, let's try it then." He decided.

He raised his hand up, with Tohka and Origami doing the same as Shido took a deep breath.

" **Sandalphon! Metatron!** "

Sandalphon and Metatron released solid energy rings above them, with the two crystals of Shido's Angel glowing as if asking for one last permission.

"Hmm?" Mio blinked.

"Uh... is there something else I'm supposed to do here? Nothing's happening!" Shido asked.

"I think... you're Angel needs you to choose who fuses into who." She answered.

Shido looked confused at that.

"The fusion must work like how the trace of Miku's power went into me. One of the fusing Spirits needs to temporarily be absorbed into the other's body, like how some of the Sephira are linked to multiple paths." Mio guessed, not fully certain herself.

Origami looked at her then at Tohka.

"You take control here Tohka." She decided.

"Me!?" Tohka replied in shock.

"You've been a Spirit longer and have better instincts than I do. Since we're doing this in the middle of battle, I may not get used to it fast enough for it to matter." Origami explained.

Realizing that they didn't know of any downsides or conditions? Tohka realized Origami's point, so she nodded in agreement.

"Go ahead Shido, we're ready." She stated, looking at him.

He nodded in response, placing his free hand on top of the crystal housing Sandalphon's power, making it flash as it was registered as the one receiving the power. Tohka and Origami closed their eyes in response.

With everything set, two powerful words entered Shido's mind.

" **Sephira Fusion!** "

Everyone gasped as a pillar of light shot out from where Shido, Mio, Tohka, and Origami were floating. While they stood there, Tohka looked down to see the diamond-shaped outline of the Sandalphon Crystal on her chest.

 **[** **Date A Live II: Hurricane** **]**

Origami gasped as she transformed into the Metatron Crystal, which flew into Tohka's body.

"I can feel it... our powers... they're melding!" She gasped.

Sensing the incoming surge of power, Mio quickly pulled herself and Shido away, right as a double helix made from purple and white Reiryoku spiraled in place of the pillar.

"Mio, did it..." Shido asked.

"Yes, it worked!" Mio smiled.

Tohka's eyes closed as Ehyeh merged with Adonai Melek, transforming it into something more like the latter.

Once her new Astral Dress was finally complete, she held out her hands, catching two Sandalphon blades before they shifted to reveal opening for blasters, with many more copies becoming new Metatron pillars in the same design.

Opening her eyes, everyone saw her left one had become the same as Origami's, marking the fusion was complete.

"Whoa... Origami, do you feel this!?" Tohka asked, looking at herself.

'I do, even from within you!' Origami answered, currently floating inside of Tohka's Crystal realm.

*"BOOM!"*

Tohka turned to see Ellen and the AST being blown back by an attack, with the Hecatoncheires ready to blast their vulnerable forms.

"We... can't fall here..." She breathed.

"Get away from them!" Tohka exclaimed.

As the machine prepared to fire at the AST, Tohka warped into view with both Sandalphons ready, making the Hecatoncheires quickly throw up its Anti-Territory again.

" **Metatron: Kadour!** "

Throwing the two swords ahead, everyone watched as they slashed at the barrier...

*"SHATTER!"*

And it broke! Knocking the Hecatoncheires back as it smashed into some of its Harpy armies, breaking all of the portals that were producing them without end.

On the ground, everyone cheered at that.

"It worked! Tohka and Origami's united power managed to break the barrier!" Rinne exclaimed.

"By merging their powers, they currently have more raw power than I do, and that machine has no defense against a power above my threshold." Mio stated.

"That's why you were sure this would work, good thinking." Shido smiled.

The Hecatoncheires quickly regained its ground, aiming its eyes at Tohka before unleashing the same barrage that overpowered the Spirits last time, only the amount of eye blasts and gears had increased by tenfold.

However, Tohka was ready for it this time, simply swinging both Sandalphons to the side.

"What is she doing!?" Jessica questioned.

"Hmm?" Ellen blinked, looking to the side.

As the attacks hit, Tohka smirked as Metatron immediately spun around to defend against the incoming barrage, making the Hecatoncheires' eyes widen as its attacks were now the ones having no effect.

She then released a loud whistle with her fingers, causing both Sandalphons to unleash a powerful beam attack that aimed itself at the Harpies. Once again, the Hecatoncheires realized what was happening as the twin blasts wiped out the entire army.

"Take this!"

While still distracted, both Sandalphons had returned, slashing through its wings and making it start to spark as its movement became erratic... right as it drew in Reiryoku to start repairing the damage!

"Finish it Tohka, this is your best chance!" Mio exclaimed.

Tohka nodded her head.

"Here we go... time to truly unite our powers as one!" She announced.

'I'm with you!' Origami replied.

Tohka quickly launched both Sandalphon swords into the air, where they glowed purple and white as Metatron's pillars flew into the latter.

" **Sandalphon: Halvanhelev!** "

' **Metatron: Artelif!** '

As both of their strongest attacks began to form, Tohka pulled her hands back, causing the two Angels to smash together and merge into one. The result was a version of Artelif with some of its structure spread out like the sun's rays, and Halvanhelev as a harpoon.

"FIRE!"

She blasted out the union of light and energy as Halvanhelev was shot from Artelif, using its speed to fly through the air like a hot knife through butter.

The Hecatoncheires had no time to react as the blade cut through it, smashing the Harpy inside before Artelif's energy slammed inside through the cut.

"Did we... do it?" Tohka asked, sweating a bit.

At that moment, the giant machine's form began to bubble in various areas, looking like it was wrapped in metallic bubble wrap before it exploded!

With that sight, everyone stared before releasing a loud cheer.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

Tohka smiled at what she accomplished, though quickly felt a painful pulse shoot through her body before she screamed, which is when everyone saw her and Origami split apart. Mio gasped as they fell towards the ground.

"Aura! Sophie!" She called.

Both of them appeared and caught the duo before they could get anywhere near the ground.

"Hey, are you two OK?" Shido asked.

"Y-Yeah... we're fine. I think that last attack just pushed us over the limit." Tohka replied.

"Think we'll be alright... once we rest for a minute." Origami panted, catching her breath.

*"BA-BUMP!"*

Upon hearing that, all of the Spirits briefly paused, turning to the smoke where Hecatoncheires was as looks of worry hit their faces.

"That sound... no way, you don't think that-" Tohka asked.

"There's no way. After that last attack, there should be nothing left of it." Shido replied.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Everyone saw a single black orb that was Hecatoncheires core floating in the air, beating like a heart as it drew in all the Reiryoku it could... before it turned dark.

"Oh no, that's Maryoku!" Mio exclaimed.

"It isn't just regenerating, it's-" Rinne realized.

Dark growths spread out of the core's body, slowly wrapping around it until they shattered like a cocoon breaking, revealing a giant winged thorn with horns growing from it. It then gained as many openings as its former form had eyes.

 _"I AM HECATONCHEIRES... A MACHINE THAT CAN NOT BE STOPPED BY EVEN THE GODS THEMSELVES!"_

Mio sneezed at that.

'Why does that always count as talking about me if my name's not even being mentioned?' She questioned, rubbing her nose.

"Shido, try fusing me and Rinne! Its Anti-Territory might be back!" Kotori shouted.

Shido pulled out his Angel, causing the two to place their hands on it... only for nothing to happen as the Angel revealed a 10-minute timer counting down.

"Huh?" He blinked.

"Oh no, it looks we can't continuously use the fusion ability. It must strain your Angel too much." Mio realized.

"And most of us are near our limit... I'm already feeling the sting of my overworked muscles." Ashley panted.

Hecatoncheires soon lowered itself, charging energy at its tip before descending.

"Wait, what's it doing now!?" Rinne questioned.

"That shape... that energy... that slow descent... it reminds me of-" Mio thought aloud.

She gasped.

"It's going to replicate a Spacequake on top of the entire city!" Mio screamed.

"WHAT!?" Everyone screamed.

"There's no time to evacuate everyone from the city... no, I don't think we'll be able to get anyone out and far enough away. It'll be game over for all of us if that machine touches the ground." Mio continued.

"We have time to do something, right? I mean the barrier should-" Kotori replied, sweating a bit.

*"CRACK!"*

Everyone turned as Hecatoncheires' form began pushing the barrier to the ground, which had no effect in stopping its descent beyond holding against it.

"No... this is horrible." Tohka gasped.

"Please, someone... anyone... we need a miracle." Mio begged.

At that moment, a bunch of energy wires wrapped around the Hecatoncheires, their ends being Yggdrafolium Realizers that had managed to anchor themselves onto the machine.

"Someone ask for a miracle?" Maria asked.

"Wait, isn't that..." Shido realized.

Releasing its Invisible Realizer, the sight of the Fraxinus could be seen as it pulled up against Hecatoncheires' falling form. While it wasn't able to pull Hecatoncheires back up, it was at least keeping the machine from descending any lower.

"That's right! Maria and Marina Arusu at your service, here to help save the day!" Marina confirmed.

Both twins slapped their hands on the console, sending a surge of power that made the Fraxinus' engines blast out more power and finally start pulling Hecatoncheires into the air, making everyone hopeful.

Realizing it was losing the tug of war between them, Hecatoncheires glowed before firing out an army of Bandersnatch from its openings.

"Oh no, Bandersnatch heading our way!" Maria warned.

"Is there _anyone_ in the DeNA that's enough of an idiot to miss a potential idea that works against our favor!?" Marina complained.

Her worries were quickly proven when they latched onto the Fraxinus and activated their Anti-Territories, weakening Fraxinus' pull.

"Is nothing going to go our way today!?" Kotori screamed.

She waited for something to happen, hoping to get a jinx in their favor... but nothing happened.

"Damn it." She grunted.

" **Gabriel: Rondo!** "

A giant wave of sound went off, soon creating sound bindings that locked the Hecatoncheires in place.

 _"ERROR! MOVEMENT REGISTERED BUT NOT DETECTED! ERROR!"_

"Wait, that was..." Kotori gasped.

"That's right!" Miku answered.

Everyone turned to see Miku flying towards them.

"Just in time." Shido smiled.

"Sorry it took so long Darling, but Shiori and I needed a lot of time to get this ready. Now we just need you to give her the green light." She replied, winking as she did.

Nodding his head, Shido tapped his intercom.

"I'm here Shido, are we ready?" Shiori asked.

"Yeah, so whatever you and Miku have planned? Go for it!" Shido approved.

"Here goes then." She smirked.

Shiori placed her hands into a broadcasting machine and part of the stage panel, channeling her Seirei Ability to every screen in the city.

"Attention everyone! I'm Shiori Takamiya, better known as Miku's manager, and as you're already aware? That machine is threatening this city. The members of Ratatoskr have countered most of its threats, but this one last is still present... and all of them are exhausted." She stated, her face sharing their struggle.

From where she was, Yoshino felt her eyes shake before she held up the Zadkiel Crystal.

"She's right... they need help!" She decided.

She rushed towards the battlefield like Rinne had earlier, still unaware of what she actually possessed, and what its presence was about to change.

"However, Miku and I have a plan. Listen to this recording and don't stop until you can't hear it play anymore." Shiori continued, pressing a button.

The screen switched to show Miku's face.

"Everyone, I need you listen to me! As you've likely realized when I ran off... yes, I am a Spirit, and I didn't even realize this until recently. However, the voice I have now is because of it." She began.

"Miku's telling you all the truth. When I first met her, not long before I became her manager, she had this indigo-colored gem in an octagonal cut that neither of us could find afterwards." Shiori verified.

"And that's why... right now, I need you to listen to me, because I need your help if we're to prevail against that DeNA machine threatening to destroy us!" Miku exclaimed.

Mio stared at the screens.

'What kind of plan did she have to ask everyone for help? Especially through a recording instead of in real time?' She wondered, trying to figure out what she was doing.

"To all my fans, my power is over sound, and because of that... I need all of you to sing with me in this recording we've set. It might not make sense, but just as I've always lent you my voice, this time I ask all of you lend us yours, to protect our beloved Tenguu City!" She begged.

Everyone's eyes widened at that.

"Wait for it." Shiori whispered.

"So, it's time for my newest song, but this time... my concert will conclude with _us_ singing it together!" Miku announced.

With that, the recording began to play a song.

 **[** **Date A Live III: I Swear** **]**

The screen turned indigo, with a light indigo light roaming the screen as Miku appeared on the screen briefly, raising her head before it changed back and the first words were made by the roaming light.

 _"A rainbow glow... focuses itself across the world. It aligns itself with my anxiety, as it begins to fade away! Now that we're both here... I'll gather my dreams and walk this path with you! If you ask why I stand here, it's because you light my way!"_ Miku sang.

Before anyone knew it, Shiori began singing with the music.

 _"Don't hesitate... don't fear... I'll stand by your side!"_

Ai, Mai, and Mii all stood and began singing with her, getting the attention of their fellow Rindouji students.

 _"I will live... I will fight... please, don't hesitate anymore!"_

Said students began doing the same, with some other people in the crowd following in their footsteps.

 _"Come on, go... come on, live... I'm with you my Darling, and together we'll sing us a..."_

 _"Song of Life!"_

By that point, almost everyone if not the entire city of Tenguu City was singing along to Miku's song, drowning out most of the noises the crowds could hear from the battle.

 _"Give me a sweet kiss and we'll reverberate our song across the sky! My love, our voices will light up the sun and moon! Even if time tries to alter our lives... our hearts will return all to what it was before! Even as our infinite melody stretches through the eons of memories, or longer... I SWEAR! Nothing will destroy your memories of me, and before either of us know it, the present will transform into our happy future!"_

 _"With this bit of courage swelling in my hands, I'll revolve around all evil as I make my fearless stand! My life and yours will survive until the end... so, let's begin our war!"_

Now hearing the music everywhere as the song continued, the AST and the other Spirits all looked at Miku.

"Uh... no offense Miku, but how is this going to help us?" Rinne asked.

"You're about to see, now everyone listen up!" Miku winked, spinning a bit.

Her Angel's form appeared in her hands, only for a giant floating organ to appear behind her, making everyone's eyes widen before her eyes began to glow.

 **"Gabriel: March!"**

Suddenly, everyone's Astral Dress glowed until they were heavily tinted by their Sephira Crystal's color, with Mio's outright gaining a shiny iridescent effect to reflect hers being rainbow in color.

"Do you guys feel that? It's like my body's filled with a maelstrom of power!" Kotori exclaimed, smiling as if her adrenaline was rushing.

"Of course, you got everyone to sing to maximize the boost from this ability's effects!" Mio realized.

As this happened, Maria and Marina noticed a shining glow in the Fraxinus' core, which is when the Jophiel Crystal rose into view, getting their attention.

"Hey, what is that?" Marina asked.

"That must be a Sephira Crystal, and if Miku's song is effecting the Spirits..." Maria answered.

Both of the twins gasped before smirking at one another.

Screaming as they upped their powers, the Fraxinus' engines released an explosion of force from their engines as the Anti-Territories being applied to it began to flicker, with the Hecatoncheires being forced into the sky again.

 _"ERROR! ERROR! CURRENT SITUATION DOES NOT COMPUTE!"_

Miku flew up, also being empowered from the effects of March.

" **Gabriel!** "

She released a loud scream from her mouth, striking Hecatoncheires dead on, causing its movements and systems to become abnormal.

 _"E-E-E-ERROR... CAN'T MOVE..."_

The Bandersnatch immediately let go of the Fraxinus, flying towards Miku in an attempt to stop what she was trying to do.

 **"Galatine!"**  
 **"Arondight!"**

Ryouko and Jessica swung their swords, slicing through the machines' numbers.

"Everyone, this is our chance! Attack with everything we have!" Ellen ordered.

The AST began unleashing their long-range attacks against Hecatoncheires, who formed a triple-layered version of its Anti-Territory barrier, which negated their attacks.

"Marina!" Maria shouted.

"Right, firing the Mystletainn!" Marina replied, pulling a level.

Fraxinus fired a laser powered by high energy ion particles.

"Come on, it's our turn!" Tohka shouted.

She formed her throne and then smashed it apart, creating her Angel's ultimate form as she readied for the swung.

 **"Sandalphon: Halvanhelev!"**

She swung against it, making the Anti-Territory start to shake.

"Are they damaging the barrier?" Shido questioned.

"If they are, then let's all follow their lead!" Origami announced, throwing her hands out.

Metatron began spinning as it made a cage if light around Hecatoncheires.

 **"Shekhinah: Paradise Lost!"**  
 **"Metatron: Shemesh!"**  
 **"Camiel: Megiddo!"**

All of their powers smashed into the Anti-Territory, finally shattering it as the attacks managed to strike against the Hecatoncheires body.

 _"CRITICAL DAMAGE DETECTED! MAXIMIZING RECOVERY, TRIAGE NON-COMBAT SYSTEMS TO ACCELERATE HEALING ABILITY!"_

Shido smiled as he heard that.

"We're doing it, that machine's finally on the defensive!" He exclaimed.

"No, don't cheer yet. It's still healing faster than we can hurt it." Mio warned.

Shido looked closer, seeing there wasn't any damage.

"Is there any way for us to get around that? At this rate we'll run out of juice... us, the AST, Maria and Marina, not to mention everyone in the city!" He questioned.

Mio thought for a moment.

"Maybe if you and I tried to attack it together, but I'm not sure if I have enough power for that." She suggested.

"We have to try, make our own power if we have to." Shido replied.

"OK then, let's do this together." Mio agreed.

Shido held out his Angel, with Mio putting her hand on one of the crystals as he held the other, channeling their power together as the Angels' crystals began glowing rainbow.

"Guys, l-let me help!"

Both of them turned to see Yoshino help, confusing them.

"Yoshino? Why are you here?" Shido asked.

"I think this will help, here!" Yoshino replied.

She held out the Zadkiel Crystal, making the two gasp as they recognized the blue gem.

"You've been the one it went to all along!?" Mio asked.

Before she could even ask, Yoshino saw her Sephira Crystal glow brightly, with the Arusu twins soon seeing the same thing happen to the Jophiel Crystal.

"Whoa, what's going on!?" They all asked.

 ** _"The Sephira... have synchronized!"_**

A huge flash went off, and a bunch of attacks hit the Hecatoncheires from a distance, making everyone look as silhouettes of different colors suddenly formed, unleashing various elemental attacks.

It didn't take long before Zadkiel unleashed a geyser at the machine, while Jophiel unleashed a storm of shrapnel that further shook Hecatoncheires' form.

 _"DANGER! DANGER! UNRECOGNIZED SPIRIT SIGNATURES ATTACKING, FATAL DANGER DETECTED!"_

Everyone stared in disbelief, with Mio and Shido being the first to break themselves out of their shocked stupors.

"Mio, what's going on?" Shido asked.

"I'm not sure, but... maybe with all the Reiryoku that we've been seeing that machine consume, and Miku's song... we're seeing some kind of manifestation of the other Sephira Crystals, especially Zadkiel and Jophiel since we know they haven't bonded to anyone." Mio guessed.

"Whatever the reason, look!" He exclaimed.

Looking closely, Mio saw the Hecatoncheires' healing starting to fail, but it was still healing too fast for it to be truly defeated.

"Come on Shido, this is our chance!" She exclaimed.

"You've got it Mio, let's hit it with all our might!" He replied.

Both of them screamed loudly as their combined Reiryoku flared out, creating a light bright enough to temporarily make the night sky turn bright as day.

Mio's Angels condensed their power together, creating a rainbow sphere.

"TAKE THIS!"

They both blasted out the powerful attack, smashing into the Hecatoncheires as it began shaking in pain, knocking the Spirits away as the force overwhelmed them. Back on the ground, Shido and Mio felt themselves getting pushed, while the DeNA machine they were attacking continued to resist.

"Come on... we need more power!" Shido begged.

Hearing his plea, the manifestations of the other Spirits they had yet to meet flew over and merged with their attack, empowering it even more as they began to overwhelm the machine.

Unfortunately, the Hecatoncheires realized the threat and reacted accordingly to it.

 _"INITIATING FINAL ATTACK PROTOCOL!"_

Taking all the power it was planning to use for its replicated Spacequake impact, it unleashed a dark blast of Maryoku to counter their attack, pushing against it as it occasionally pushed back in a reverse tug of war game.

"We have to be stronger! Don't give up!" Mio grunted.

At that moment, Mio and Shido felt hands touch them, and saw the other Spirits land by their sides.

"We're all here!" Tohka exclaimed.

"Together!" Origami exclaimed.

"You don't have to do it alone!" Kotori exclaimed.

"Don't give up!" Miku exclaimed.

"Because we're not giving in either!" Rinne exclaimed.

Hearing those voices, both of them felt their energies flow through them, and screamed louder as their attack's tip began to shift and sharpen.

 **"Yetzelhelev!"**

Finally, their attack became an energy sword that spiked through the Hecatoncheires' attack, soon spiking right through the machine as it was fully enveloped by the attack. Miku's song came to an appropriate end as they saw its body break apart like shattering glass if the pieces disappeared like ice crystals.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

Panting a bit, Mio saw the fight was over.

"We did it, we... won..." She said tiredly.

Those words were the last thing her mind registered before she fell over and blacked out, making Shido and the others panic.

* * *

Mio slowly opened her eyes, blinking as she tried to regain her vision.

When she finally did, her eyes widened at what she saw. It was some kind of energy realm that was almost like Space if colored white, swirling like a slow whirlpool, and had no stars anywhere.

"What is this place, and... why does it feel so familiar?" She asked herself.

Then another question hit her mind as she noticed a certain feeling on her feet, which she realized when she looked down and saw her bare feet, along with what looked like her dress during her first official date with Shido.

"And... why am I standing on what feels like solid ground rather than floating?" Mio questioned, scratching her head in confusion.

 ** _"Because you aren't floating, my child."_**

Mio looked confused before she felt a sudden movement, making her fall over as the _ground_ she was on rose up, making her see something more solidly white. It took only a few moments before it turned to make her face something.

It was... someone that looked like her if she was the size of a Titan from Greek mythology, only completely white with a slightly light blue tint and giant wings like a real Angel from Christian Religion.

"HOLY..."

Mio decided not to finish that swear, worried that being offensive to this being was a bad idea, even for someone as powerful as herself.

 ** _"Finally, we meet for the first time... I'm so glad."_**

"S-Stay back!" Mio panicked.

 ** _"Don't let my size and otherworldly appearance scare you my young Spirit, as I have no intention to harm you. My only intent is to talk with you."_**

Mio kept shaking for a moment, but she saw the giant version of herself give a big smile with a soft expression? It calmed her down.

"I guess the first thing I'd ask is... who are you?" She inquired.

 ** _"Apologies, but I'm afraid that I don't have the time to answer that. I've been trying to reach you for a long time, but only now has it succeeded, and it was mostly out of luck more than anything else."_**

"Oh, then... go ahead, I won't interrupt again." Mio apologized, blushing in embarrassment.

 ** _"Thank you, but I'm afraid that this is all the time I have, so I leave you with this one warning. Now that all of the Sephira Crystals have been awakened... it won't be long until-"_**

Her words stated to become static, with Mio feeling herself regaining consciousness.

 ** _"You must..._** _*STATIC* **so gather the people reborn as Spirits by the Sephira Crystals...** *STATIC* **know you can do it, Mio Takamiya."**_

Finally stumbling onto the ground, Mio began waking up.

* * *

Gasping as she finally woke up, Shido's eyes widened before he hugged her tightly.

"You're awake!" He cried, tightening his grip.

"Shido... breathe... tight!" She choked out.

Realizing how tightly he was hugging her, Shido blushed and released his grip, making her breasts bounce slightly through her hospital gown.

"Crap! Sorry!" He apologized.

Mio smiled before pulling him in for a kiss, making him blush before he kissed her back.

"It's so cute how you always worry about me." She smiled, lightly pinching his cheek.

"Why wouldn't I have been worried? After you suddenly collapsed out of nowhere, I was worried that attack we did together may have done something to you." Shido replied, sniffling a bit.

Mio hugged him close, rubbing him back.

"Don't worry, I'm OK. You can dry those tears now." She reassured him, giving a blushing smile as she did.

Taking a deep breath, Shido calmed himself down before nodding. It was that same moment Kotori walked in.

"Welcome back sleeping beauty." Kotori joked.

Mio giggled at that, with Shido and Kotori joining in.

"So, are you feeling alright? I don't think you fainted just because you were tired or anything." She asked, popping a lollipop in her mouth.

"I didn't, someone tried to contact me and managed to get through. They even said it was luck that made it work." Mio revealed.

Both of them showed surprise at that.

"Who was it? What they tell you? Please, tell me everything!" Shido asked, hoping it wasn't Phantom.

Mio scratched her head in response, not sure how to answer.

"Actually, I don't know who it was. They looked like some giant version of myself made of energy with genuine Angel wings. She, or maybe it, tried to tell me something about all of the Sephira Crystals awakening in relation to a coming threat, but... things got kind of fuzzy near the end, so I didn't catch everything she/it was saying." She answered.

Kotori gave a confused look at that.

"You sure that wasn't just some crazy dream sequence?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"It might have been, but... I don't think it was when you consider what we saw during the battle. Why else would we have seen those manifestations of the remaining Sephira Crystals' powers?" Mio replied.

"Hmm... fair point." Kotori realized.

Getting on her feet, she spotted her clothes before using her power to swap them with her hospital gown.

"OK, let's get out of here." Mio stated.

"Wait, can you still fly right now?" Shido asked.

Mio gave him a confused look.

"Uh... yeah, but why would it matter if I could fly or not?" She asked.

Both of them said nothing, confusing her even further.

* * *

In the area of Osaka where Ren was born, Phantom could be seen chuckling as she sensed the battle's end result.

 **"Finally, all of the Sephira Crystals have been freed."** She stated.

Walking across the walls, a small robot walked into view as it projected a veiled hologram of the DeNA leader.

"So, can you verify it?" They asked.

 **"I can, the shell of the Ekenor Crystal has finally awakened. It won't be long before the next phase can begin."** Phantom confirmed.

The leader smirked.

"Good, make sure you remember the deal between us." The leader replied.

Nodding her head, the automaton cut the feed and then began to leave... only for Phantom to grab it. She let out a dark laugh, then crushed it in her hands until it was a pile of scrap, which she stomped on for good measure.

 **"Now that I've set up the small bit of doubt within the DEM and those Ratatoskr greenhorns, let's begin Phase 3."** Phantom smirked.

Opening her free hand, a portal opened before something dropped out, with the object in question being revealed as... another Phantom!?

She laughed before the noise cover faded, briefly showing her real form's legs.

 **"You've been a big help by managing to get yourself captured, especially with your unique formless body. Now I'll begin setting the stage in motion."** Phantom declared, followed by a dark giggle.

Holding up a Realizer, she was covered by a black noise that gave no clear silhouette to their true form before disappearing from view, leaving the real Avatar of Ain where she was as she briefly lifting the head of her noise covered form as she stared ahead.

"W-Where am I? What's..." She asked.

She quickly blacked out again, only able to release a slightly SOS in hopes a Spirit would be nearby and sense it.

* * *

Mio's eyes sparkled as she looked around the Fraxinus, currently set so it looked like everyone was walking on air.

"This is incredible! I'm basically sky walking right now!" Mio exclaimed, bouncing on her feet.

Marina raised an eyebrow at that.

"How does this excite her when she can fly?" Marina questioned.

"I dunno, maybe she's never been on a plane before?" Maria guessed.

"She hasn't." Shido confirmed.

Hearing that, the Arusu sisters let out a playful laugh, with Maria turning towards Mio.

"Anyways... welcome to the Fraxinus, the official Ratatoskr airship!" Maria announced.

While Mio continued to roam around, Yoshino walked into the main room, briefly gasping at the apparent sight of walking in the sky.

"Oh, we should turn that off now." Marina realized.

Mio pouted as the bridge returned to normal.

"I'd like a heads-up next time you do that..." Yoshino requested, sweating as she let out an awkward chuckle.

"Will do." Maria promised.

Mio soon walked up to Yoshino, who already had a good idea of what she was about to ask.

"Let me guess, you're wondering how I have that... what did you call it?" Yoshino asked.

"Zadkiel Crystal. Yeah, all of us would" Mio replied.

"Well... truth be told? I'm not sure how I got it, just that I found it in my backpack a few days ago." She admitted, taking it out.

Shido felt a bead of sweat roll down his neck after hearing that.

"I see. Well, to get you up to speed? This gem is a Sephira Crystal, one of many special gemstones I unknowingly made when I saved the world 30 years ago. The fact you have it means you must be the one meant to bond with it." Mio explained.

Yoshino's eyes widened upon hearing that.

"What? Me, a Spirit? But... how do you even know if I'm meant to become a-" She questioned, shaking nervously.

"Because of your hair and your name." Kotori answered.

Yoshino immediately paused upon hearing that, her eyes going white as they blinked in confusion.

"Allow me to explain. Each of the Sephira Crystals have a different color, while most of them are tied to a certain part of the Sephirot that have numbers linked to them. The Zadkiel Crystal is linked with the color blue, and the number four... which your name contains the kanji for." Mio clarified.

Hearing that, Yoshino gasped a bit.

"I know it's kind of shocking, but that's the deal here. You've been chosen by that crystal and it's not going to change its mind." Mio continued.

"But... am I really worthy of it?" Yoshino asked herself.

Kotori put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile.

"Don't forget you've got a friend who's already a Spirit herself. I don't think it matter if you're worthy, especially not after we all saw you rush out onto the battlefield to help us." She reassured her.

Yoshino's eyes widened as she remembered that.

"Yeah, I did do that." She recalled, smiling a bit.

"And if that's not enough? Zadkiel is tied to Chesed, which represents kindness. Something I think you've shown to a certain someone here." Mio mentioned.

Rinne blushed as she saw everyone look in her direction, making her turn away.

It was at that same moment the Fraxinus got a call, which got everyone's attention, especially the Arusu sisters.

"Mio, this call is for you." Marina stated.

"Got it." She replied.

Accepting the call, a tired looking Westcott appeared on screen, only for him to nearly fall out of his chair.

"Oh! Sorry about that, didn't expect this call to be answered." He replied, collecting himself.

"That's alright." Mio reassured him.

"Well, now that you're awake and able to hear what I've learned..." Westcott replied, coughing a bit.

He typed from his end, splitting the screen to a map of Japan, though within radius that encompassed Kyoto, Tokyo, and Okinawa inside it. Mio quickly noticed multiple dots blinking at the edges, showing they were out of range, and one black dot.

All of the colors made her gasp.

"Wait, these are all..." She realized.

"That's right. It seems that Miku's song helped synchronize the powers of the Sephira Crystals, and that seems to have allowed us to detect all of their positions through the manifestations that helped you beat the... Hecatoncheires as I believe it was called it." Westcott confirmed.

"So, you're saying we know where to find everyone who bonded to the other Sephira Crystals?" Shido asked.

"Correct, but the downside? It seems that aside from one... all of them have ended up outside of Japan's borders. We knew some had to be out of Japan, but to think this many? Not only that... how far did some of them go?" He confirmed.

Everyone went silent, with Miku deciding to break the silence.

"This means we have to go find the owner of Zafkiel and then... we need to go beyond Japan's borders, into the unknown lands and divided pockets of Humanity's last billion." She stated.

"And it looks like the Zafkiel wielder's in Osaka, meaning we finally have an excuse to visit!" Mio exclaimed.

Silence followed, but it didn't linger long enough for her to notice.

"We need to have you all prepared, so we'll be docking the Fraxinus back in for supplies. Besides... Shiori and my children will need them if they're going to be this ship's crew." Westcott decided.

Maria and Marina gasped once they heard that.

"Wait, so... you mean-" Maria asked.

"I'm still angry you took the ship, as both of you likely remember when I made my first call..." He replied, emphasizing the last half with a glare.

Both of them gave forced smiles, trying to not look nervous.

"However, you proved yourselves capable pilots on a ship that was meant to be driven by seven people. I think I understand why Shinji wanted you. Besides that, since everyone still needs to attend class, it helps to have people who can make sure the teleporter is always functioning." Westcott continued.

"Thank you dad!" Maria cheered.

"Nice one Pops, guess you really can be the cool father at times." Marina smirked.

He quickly raised an eye at that remark.

"Uh... I didn't say anything, nope." She replied, looking away.

Mio giggled at that.

* * *

Saturday came in the blink of the eye, with the scene opening to Tamae as she looked over the paperwork that Origami handed her, sighing a bit.

"All of this is necessary? Really?" She asked.

"I would say no, but... then I'd be lying. They want Ai, Mai, and Mii's permission for broadcasting, a teleporter in the student council room so we can be in class whenever there's no emergency, then-" Origami answered, holding a finger for everything she said.

"OK, I'm stopping you right there." Tamae interrupted, sweating nervously.

As that was happening...

*"KNOCK! KNOCK!"*

Turning to the door, everyone saw Saya standing there as her gaze met Shido, Origami, Tohka, and Mio's eyes.

"I need all of you in the Student Council room, ASAP." She requested.

All of them got up and followed her, eventually reaching the Student Council Room to see Yoshino, Kotori, Rinne, Miku, and Shiori waiting inside.

"Wow, she's fast." Yoshino gasped.

"Kind of have to be when you represent the student body of a prestigious private school." Saya replied.

Sitting at her desk, she let out a sigh.

"I'll start things off like this... Tohka? I'm already aware you _did_ see my picture, you just decided not to admit it." Saya revealed.

Tohka flinched at that.

"U-Uh... I can explain!" She replied, panicking a bit.

"Calm down, the fact you didn't ask any questions is enough for me." Saya reassured her.

Tohka sighed in relief.

"Besides, at this point... I want you to see it for reasons I'll explain soon enough." She continued, placing it on her desk.

Everyone saw the picture that Tohka and Rinne had seen a few days ago, showing the black-haired girl in the photo.

"She's cute, a friend of yours?" Miku asked, blushing at the girl's beauty.

"A best friend to be specific. The kind of best friend that you'd consider a sister, and... one I've missed since she disappeared 4 years ago." Saya answered.

Miku suddenly froze, while everyone gasped.

"She and I were near the Tenguu Fire, and despite not being in it, I... I never saw her look so terrified in all her life. She wasn't the same after it, and just a few months after... she suddenly disappeared without a trace." She explained.

"That's awful..." Rinne said sadly.

"Even worse? We never even understood why she left, aside from that it might have been related to how we took her in." Saya continued.

"She was an orphan?" Mio asked.

Saya nodded.

"I didn't think much about it at first, as I simply missed her, but... one night I had this horrible dream. I saw her falling from somewhere. During that, I saw a black gem with a skinny body like a thin stick." She continued.

Mio's eyes widened.

"You think that was a hint to her having found one of the Sephira Crystals?" Mio asked.

"Yeah, and... if the black hair wasn't enough? Her name qualifies her. Because, it's... Kurumi Tokisaki." Saya confirmed, lowering her head.

Writing her name, everyone gasped as they saw it.

The kanji for three, which was the _Mi_ in her name.

"Saya... when the manifestations of the other Sephira Crystals appeared, did you recognize one of them?" Mio questioned.

Saya sighed in reply.

"I've had a dream of what was likely the Zafkiel Crystal, realized she has the name and hair color to qualify, and... while it didn't match her as I last saw her? I could tell how familiar the black manifestation was when I saw it." She answered, closing her eyes.

'Basically, that's a _probably_.' Shido realized.

Mio walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder as she gave an encouraging smile.

"If your friend's out there and now a Spirit, we promise we'll find her." She promised.

"Thank you, but just so you're aware if she doesn't join you willingly... or for some other reason? Her Seirei Ability is one of the rarest and most dangerous in the world." Saya warned.

Saya took out a different picture, covering Kurumi's left eye... before moving her finger to reveal it.

The eye that was normal in the first picture? It was now gold in color, with an old clock face inside.

"Wait, a clock? Are you saying-" Mio gasped.

"Exactly... it's time manipulation. She can slow down, accelerate, stop, or slightly rewind time around her." Saya revealed.

Shido sweated at that.

"Oh boy, imagine how Zafkiel's powers could enhance that ability?" He questioned.

"It's probably a good thing Westcott didn't want us leaving immediately." Rinne realized.

"And a horrible power for the DeNA to gain." Mio remarked.

Saya soon reached out, grabbing Mio's hand as she gained a begging looking her eyes.

"Please... please find her, I beg of you mademoiselle!" She sniffled.

Mio blinked at that last word, making Saya blush as she realized what she just said, clearing her throat a bit.

"My mother was from France... I slip into French when I get emotional." Saya explained.

"Ah, neat." Mio replied, looking interested.

Shido soon heard his phone ring, seeing he was getting a call from Westcott.

"Hello?" He answered.

"This is Maria calling on my dad's line. Just thought I'd let you know when you're done with school for the day, everything's ready for us to set out." Maria replied.

"Ah, thanks for letting us know. We'll see you then." Shido nodded.

Everyone looked towards him, and he answered their unasked question by making a circle sign with his free hand.

* * *

Most of Ratatoskr's members were soon gathered within a room of DEM Industries, with Marina opening the door to where the Fraxinus was currently stationed.

"This is it everyone, we're about to take off." She stated.

"Wait, there's something missing..." Mio mentioned.

She walked around the ship a few times, getting everyone's attention before she held up a finger, then began emitting some Reiryoku.

It soon turned into a banner showing a symbol based on a squirrel.

"Ta dah!" She exclaimed.

"Oh, we never made a logo for our group, didn't we?" Shido realized, lightly bopping his head.

"Where do we put it though?" Shiori asked.

"I'll fuse it into the wall of the bridge. As long as we can digitally send the logo, people will be able to identify our group." Mio replied.

"Ah, smart thinking." Shiori nodded.

Maria opened the ship from within, and everyone began walking on board, with Yoshino shaking nervously.

"Deep breaths, just breathe." Kotori reminded her, patting her back.

Yoshino lightly nodded before the two of them walked inside, seeing the Arusu sisters in their seats, while Shiori was in the driver/captain's seat, already getting settled into the controls that had been adjusted to be like her bike.

"Give us a moment to settle in and we'll get everyone's rooms ready." Marina mentioned, getting her respective console set up.

"It's alright. I've waited to see Osaka for this long, so what's a few more minutes?" Mio replied.

Both sisters froze at that.

"Should we tell her, or...?" Marina whispered.

"Let Osaka itself do that." Maria decided.

Mio blinked in confusion, with Shido sighing at the revelation she would be forced to see soon enough.

After a few more minutes, the triangular form of the Jophiel Crystal glowed as the engine started.

"All systems ready!" Maria exclaimed.

"Requesting clearance for takeoff!" Maria announced.

*"BEEP!"*

That sound repeated as the hangar opened op, and the Fraxinus fully opened up, igniting its thrusters as its Realizers and Territory helped lift it into the sky.

"OK, time to really make this first trip sound official..." Shido decided.

Clearing his throat, he motioned Mio to stand by him, then whispered into her ear once she did. Widening her eyes, she nodded and took his hand.

"Ratatoskr? Time to send our first message!" They announced.

Laughing at how corny that was, everyone sat down as the Fraxinus zoomed off across the sky, with the Hermetic Trio watching.

"There they go." Elliot smiled.

"Good luck out there." Ellen said, looking worried.

Fraxinus soon passed over Tenguu Crater, which is when a mass of shadows appeared on the side of Tenguu Tower, showing a face smirking as it watched them leave.

* * *

After half an hour since leaving Tenguu City...

*"BEEP!"*

"We are near the targeted energy source, all personal prepare to land when ready."

"We've finally made it!" Mio cheered.

Everyone went silent in response to her enthusiasm, which finally got Mio's attention, realizing something had to be wrong for their odd reactions.

"Why the suddenly silence? Do you hate Osaka or something?" She asked.

"Uh... Mio? I think... I think you'll realize what's wrong once we go outside." Shido explained.

Shido covered her eyes, confusing her a bit.

Shiori switched the display on and quickly found a spot to park the Fraxinus at, taking a deep breath as she retracted her hands from the console.

"Alright everyone, be prepared for anything..." She warned.

Opening the door, everyone exited the ship and saw Osaka's form, once they were set on the ground...

"OK Mio, this is the truth." Shido stated.

Removing his hands, Mio opened her eyes, then gasped as she saw the ruins of the former town they were in.

"W-What is all of this?" She asked.

"The very thing you wanted to see. This is Osaka... as it's been for the past 30 years." Maria revealed.

Mio gasped even louder.

"Mio, you have to realize that Humanity used to be 10 billion strong, but only a tenth of us survived the Spacequakes and Day of the Black Earth, as a result of that? There are so many places that have become ghost towns like Osaka here... all across the world." Shido explained.

"The only three places in Japan were anyone lives right now are Okinawa, Tokyo, and Kyoto prefectures. The rest has been completely reclaimed by nature." Origami revealed.

"Oh man... I'm sorry, I should have realized this sooner." Mio apologized.

Shido rubbed her back.

"Don't be, we probably should have told you sooner, but we saw how excited you were... and we didn't have the heart to tell you the truth." He reassured her.

Mio smiled at that... only to feel a tingling in her chest.

"Wait, this feeling... guys, follow me!" She exclaimed.

Everyone saw her run off, making them quickly follow, brushing a few vines and other plants away as they did.

"Mio, what's wrong!?" Yoshino asked.

"I feel something calling to me, like an SOS signal!" She answered.

They continued running until finally... Mio found what was calling her.

Shido and Kotori froze when they did.

"Oh, my god... it can't be..." Shido breathed, feeling his eyes shake in horror and disbelief.

Before them was the downed form of the real Phantom.

As this happened, the same shadow that appeared on Tenguu Tower manifested on one of the walls, and walking out of it was a familiar face.

"Looks like the game has finally begun." Kurumi smirked.

* * *

 **Didn't see that coming, did you? The last three chapters worth of implications that Phantom wasn't truly on our heroes' side has been completely flipped, as while Phantom is on the DeNA's side... it wasn't who we thought it was. Phantom's just been using the Avatar of Ain's form all this time, which now brings up a big question. Did the real or fake distribute the Sephira Crystals?**

 **And we now have our official debut of Kurumi, who already seems to be doing something sneaky, which I'm pretty sure is a requirement for her character. Saya's told everyone the truth, but now the question is why did Kurumi leave in the first place? Even more, what's happened to her in the last four years? Either way, I think her appearance at the end makes it clear that the second half of this chapter is the start of her arc.**

 **Anyways, you saw it! Ever since V19, where Kurumi gained some of Rasiel's powers, I've been planning to introduce a fusion ability for Shido's Angel. Tohka and Origami were the first to test it because kingpariah and I have been focusing on ideas for them in his story, Date A New Live, and because V20's cover made me decide to use Tohka's new form as their fused state.**

 **Yetzelhelev is a new attack Tohka uses when merging Halvanhelev and Paverschlev, but I decided to make it a combination attack between Mio and Shido because its name can translate to "Sword of Genesis", which you may remember is the DeNA's choice of code name for Mio. Finally, another surprise V20 added to this chapter was the giant energy Mio from the one illustration, which will be _very_ important later on.**

 **Now, this is the chapter that marks the point where the story gets _truly_ serious, and you'll see why when we hit Ch 16, but for the parts you saw in this chapter? We're no longer focused on Tenguu City, all the Sephira Crystals besides Zadkiel and Jophiel have been confirmed to have bonded with someone, and the DeNA's going to take full advantage of both those facts soon enough.**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	16. Trapped in the Shadows

**Here we are, the first official chapter of the Kurumi arc and the first that won't have our group in Tenguu City! I hope you like this chapter, because the arrival of Kurumi is accompanied by something else, and I'll only say that this chapter will leave you with more questions than answers. *giggles* Actually, when you consider the cliffhanger I left at the end of the anniversary chapter? I probably already have.**

 **At this point in the story, expect the breather chapters more often, especially since Rinne and Yoshino have yet to form any romantic feelings with Shido, on top of the fact Yoshino hasn't even bonded to the Zadkiel Crystal... and may not be able to unless something happens. *shivers* She better hope death isn't a requirement as we've seen with Origami, Kotori, and Miku.**

 **Anyways, no breathers for right now, considering Kurumi's just popped into view, not to mention the mystery with Phantom's going to make things more serious for a few chapters... among something else I can't mention due to heavy spoilers for the end of the chapter. On the plus side? Kurumi's important for most of this chapter, so to all Kurumi fans reading this? Feel free to start cheering!**

 **There is one minor thing I'd like to bring up, as when I made the anniversary chapter, I was unaware of it being the last day of Japan's Heisei era. With the events that happen in this story? I decided to add and mention a brief bit of new lore to the events of 30 years ago. In this story, the Reiwa Era only lasted for a decade, ending after Mio managed to save the world.**

 **As such, the term "Seirei Era" now refers to both everyone blessed with Seirei Abilities, _and_ the succeeding era. That isn't too important overall, but I felt the need to mention it since this story does try to stay as close to Japanese culture as I can, especially since this chapter will be answering something I've only hinted about the story's current day Japan, which is all I'll say before I accidentally spoil it.**

 **Now, time to get this chapter started!**

* * *

 **[Chapter 16 - Trapped in the Shadows]**

 _The scene opened to a place like Earth, but more ethereal in its appearance when it came to nature, architecture, and etc., but at the moment?_

 _*"BOOM!"*_

 _Everyone was currently running away as Bandersnatch of the same model from 30 years ago attacked the unknown land, their power easily surpassing what their modern-day counterparts could wield through their attacks._

 _Joining their onslaught was the sight of cloaked beings without faces, with wings on their bodies as they flew overhead, aiding the DeNA army._

 _"Don't let them through!" Someone screamed._

 _Various people were seen fighting against the vicious onslaught, wielding weapons and clothing like the Spirits, but much weaker. The swarming Bandersnatch were enough to prove this as they struggled to fight back._

 ** _"King Killing!"_**

 _A few of the machines were cut down as a girl with white hair panted, soon seeing another part of their city fall as a dark wave of Maryoku covered the sky._

 _"Hibiki, we have to fall back! They've just broken through the ***STATIC*** of ***STATIC*** and are moving to the next area at the same momentum!" Someone shouted._

 _"They did what!? No, that can't be..." She gasped._

 _Hibiki looked at the battlefield, tears filling her eyes at the hopelessness that seemed to stand before her._

 _"How is this happening?" She questioned._

 _Suddenly, the answer forced itself before her as she was struck by a rogue attack, making her get up slowly before gasping at the horrible truth in front of her._

 _One of her allies, with Maryoku leaking off their form as their pupils glowed red._

 _"No... please, this can't be all for nothing... no!" Hibiki begged, feeling her body shake as she slumped onto her knees._

 _And this was only the beginning of what would come._

* * *

Looking at the unconscious form of the Ain Avatar, Yoshino gasped as she recognized her.

"I've met her before, she told me to hide the fact I had the Zadkiel Crystal when she found me with it... which you all know was a promise that I didn't keep." She revealed, blushing in embarrassment.

"No wonder I haven't seen her." Mio realized, looking concerned.

As she moved to get a closer look, Shido and Kotori grabbed her hands, with everyone noticing a suspicious look on their faces, especially confusing Mio.

"Shido? What's wrong?" She asked.

"Guys, I don't trust her... and I have reason to believe that." He answered, still keeping his suspicious expression.

Mio's eyes widened.

"I do as well, and once we explain things? I'm sure Origami will agree with us." Kotori replied.

"Eh?" Origami blinked.

Taking a deep breath, Kotori crossed her arms as she faced everyone.

"During our date, Shido asked me how I got my Sephira Crystal, and I told him that it was given to me. The one who gave it? Well, you're looking at her right now." She revealed, glaring at Avatar of Ain.

Mio gasped, looking at her.

"No way, it was her? But that doesn't make any sense! She should have traveled in time like me, Aura, and Sophie all did." Mio questioned.

"Actually... I've met her too, for the same reason! But wait, despite realizing that, I don't get why that should make me suspicious of her?" Origami realized, tilting her head in confusion.

"Because the reason I got Ekenor out of my nameless Angel? She's responsible for it. I met her in a dream recently, and she called herself _Phantom_ in it, revealing her true form... was based off of Reine Murasame." Shido revealed.

Everyone gasped at that.

"Which is why we consider her suspicious. Especially since based on the story Rinne's father told us, we think she met him the same way. Take in she told Yoshino to avoid us? I hate to say this Mio, but I have half a mind to believe she's not our ally." Shido continued, closing her eyes.

Mio blinked a bit, scratching her head.

"What do you mean she took Reine's form? She can't transform into other people, and the reason she looks like this is because Ain is a formless Angel." She mentioned.

"Do you even know if that's true? For all we know, just like how Sophie and Aura gained Astral Dresses when I named them, she might have tricks you don't know about." Shido questioned, still suspicious.

At that moment, everyone heard a groan as the Avatar of Ain got to her feet, rubbing her head. Shido prepared to get close, only for Marina to hold her hand out and keep him in place.

"What are you-" Shido questioned.

"Let's wait until she fully wakes up. If you're as sure as you believe you are, then you should be able to notice if she starts to act fishy." She replied.

Shido sighed and relented.

A few seconds later, the Ain Avatar fully woke up and blinked her unseen eyes.

"Where... Where am I...?" She asked.

Taking a moment, she panicked as she pat her hands all over her body, releasing a fearful sweat as she failed to find anything on her form.

"No... no! They stole all five of the Sephira Crystals, how could I have let this happen!?" She panicked.

'Eh!?' Shido and Kotori blinked.

Yoshino felt a thought come to her, and took out the Zadkiel Crystal, making the Ain Avatar gasp as Yoshino held it out to her.

"Is... this what you're looking for?" Yoshino asked.

Smiling as she saw it, the Ain Avatar grabbed it and rubbed it close to her cheek, making everyone stare at her strange gesture in an odd manner. After realizing this, she coughed and blushed.

"S-Sorry, I'm just so relieved nothing bad happened to them." She apologized.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Mio smiled.

Pausing as she heard that familiar voice, the Ain Avatar slowly turned her head before gasping as she saw Mio again for the first time in at least 5 years.

"MIO!"

Everyone watched as she tackled Mio to the ground, snuggling her cheek onto hers.

"Oh, it's so good to see you again! I knew you'd be coming back, but even if I knew that, 30 years was still such a long time to wait!" The Avatar of Ain exclaimed, still snuggling against her cheek.

"Eh... yeah, nice to see you again too." Mio replied, giving an awkward chuckle.

The snuggling soon got a little uncomfortable, making Mio motion her hands.

Seeing the signal, the Ain Avatar suddenly felt herself pulled off by Aura and Sophie, who made sure to hold her by the hands to avoid being caught in the same snuggle grip they were just in.

"And... you're as embarrassing as ever." Aura sighed.

"Hi again!" Sophie greeted, waving with her free hand.

Recognizing her fellow Avatars, she kicked her legs happily as she swung her head back and forth to see them.

"It's you guys!" She cheered.

"We actually have names now. I'm Aura, and she's Sophie." Aura answered.

She gave a surprised look at that.

Soon enough, she noticed the sight of Kotori and Origami walking closer, making her gasp as she recognized them as well.

"Hey, I remember you two. The first two I gave the Sephira Crystals too. If memory serves me right, they were Camael and Metatron, right?" She recalled.

Kotori raised an eye suspiciously, making her blink in confusion.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" She questioned.

"Don't try to act like you don't know us." Shido warned.

The Ain Avatar soon saw Shido, making a silent gasp.

"No way! Shinji, how are you still so young!?" She inquired.

"I'm not buying your act. If you really don't know me, then I bet you'll try telling me how Ekenor was with me for some reason." He replied suspiciously.

"YOU FOUND EKENOR? REALLY!?" She shouted happily.

Shido suddenly felt himself nearly falling over.

"I could never find the Ekenor Crystal, so I was worried that I messed up and lost that part of Mio's powers forever! Thank goodness you found it!" The Ain Avatar smiled, shedding happy tears from her unseen eyes.

As Shido stood there... he couldn't see anything strange about her reaction.

Her voice didn't crack or strain, even without seeing her eyes she was clearly looking at him straight on, and most of all... the emotion in her voice was genuine.

"Holy freaking crap! She doesn't know about what happened with Ekenor!" Shido realized.

"Are you serious?" Kotori said, equally surprised.

"I knew she was the real deal!" Mio cheered.

However, her cheering paused as her eyes went white, realizing that meant something bad.

"Wait, doesn't that mean that Phantom person you mentioned has been impersonating her all this time?" She realized.

"Impersonating?" The Ain Avatar repeated.

Suddenly, she felt a familiar pain in her neck, holding it as everyone saw her collapse to her knees.

"Hey, are you alright?" Sophie asked.

"I remember something... someone with dark hair, though nowhere close to black, and... they attacked me. That's the last time I saw the Zadkiel Crystal and the others." She recalled.

Mio put a hand on her back, looking her in the eyes.

"Try to tell us what you can, starting from the beginning, OK?" She asked.

The Avatar of Ain nodded, feeling the pain fade.

* * *

Helping the injured Avatar onto one of the buildings, everyone sat down as they got up to speed about her story.

"Let's see... unfortunately, a lot of my memory is blurry, either because of 30 years passing by or something related to why you found me unconscious... though I'll do the best I can." She apologized in advance.

Taking a deep breath, the Ain Avatar began sharing her story.

"After Mio had saved the world, I expected it was the end for all four of us, but... just a few days later? I saw the world had changed, and I was alive. At first, because of how different the world looked, my mind assumed I had gone to Heaven until I found a vehicle that had chased Mio during her attempts to save the world. From there, it was clear I was still on Earth, and that realization made me sense the same for Mio, Aura, and Sophie." She started.

"Really? Even though I was time travelling?" Mio questioned.

"Time travelling? I'm not sure how you came to that conclusion, but I can assure you... if there was a time anything that hit you? It was a time stasis, because for 30 years, I felt your presence as clearly as I did back then and as I do now." She answered.

That caused everyone's eyes to widen.

"Then... Mio didn't travel through time? Does that mean this story relates to that?" Shido questioned, sweating nervously.

"Maybe? I'm not completely sure, although... what happened next does seem to imply this. See, shortly after, there was either something or maybe someone that made contact with me. They told me that Mio was weak, and that I had to help her regain her strength because while we stopped the world from ending, we didn't completely purge the threat either. It was then I learned about the Sephira Crystals that Mio's powers had created." She continued.

Everyone nodded their heads.

"Whoever this thing or person was? They told me that I needed to find all of them, and I did... aside from Ekenor, which I could never find despite my best efforts. However, the same force told me not to worry about finding it and to begin the next step of my task, giving each Sephira Crystal to the people they chose to bond with. I wasn't given any direct clues to where everyone was, other than I had to focus on the colors for them all, and the numbers for many." She revealed.

"So, you're saying that giving us the Sephira Crystals was part of helping Mio?" Miku asked.

"I'm assuming so, but I failed... because after I only had five crystals left? I just blacked out. Based on what you've said, someone took my form and used my body under the name of Phantom to mess up my job. I'm not sure how Mio came back, but I worry that without Jophiel and Zadkiel, there was some kind of side effects or consequences that distributing the crystals was meant to prevent or avoid." She sighed, looking away in guild.

Mio rubbed her back, trying to comfort her.

"There were. Mio initially couldn't use her powers, but she's managed to regain her link to five Sephira Crystals so far, and six once Yoshino bonds with Zadkiel. While there was a consequence, we at least know it's reversible." Shiori reassured her.

The Ain Avatar sighed in relief.

"We actually have the Jophiel Crystal powering our ship as well. Once we find the person it will bond with, that's seven crystals, and then eight once we find the Zafkiel Crystal's wielder we detected in this area." Shido added.

"Really? Thank goodness, Jophiel was one of the Crystals I lost." The Avatar of Ain smiled.

Suddenly, she immediately turned her focus to Tohka and Rinne's violet and pink hair colors.

"Wait a second... I also had the Sandalphon, Shekhinah, and Uriel Crystals at that time! Are you two the wielders of the first two among those?" She asked hopefully.

"We aren't just the wielders, we are the Sandalphon and Shekhinah Crystals." Tohka replied, giggling after she did.

"Hi." Rinne waved.

The Ain Avatar blinked in confusion.

"Unlike the others who became Spirits, Tohka and Rinne were dead mages that reincarnated into Spirits." Mio explained.

"Seriously!?" She exclaimed, both shocked and in disbelief.

Time passed as they helped get the Ain Avatar up to speed, while helping clear any last details they had. It eventually got to the point that she revealed something important to Yoshino.

"So, you say that bonding with these only happens after death, at least via prior experiences?" She inquired.

"That's right. Tohka and Rinne imply there may be more ways than this, but we don't know what they are. Do you?" Mio confirmed, looking hopeful.

"Yes, while it is a rebirth in a way, death is not a requirement. If anything? It's an automatic emotional trigger." The Avatar of Ain explained.

"Trigger?" Shido repeated.

"Wait, are you saying the bonding comes from one's emotions?" Kotori inquired.

"I am. Back when I gave out the Crystals, I remember seeing the Haniel Crystal bond to its wielder immediately after I gave it to her." She confirmed.

Yoshino sighed in relief, smiling at the Zadkiel Crystal.

"I will say this. You can't force the feeling, it has to genuinely well out from inside of you, as only then will the Crystal and you share the same wavelength to become one. Remember that until the day Zadkiel finally bonds with you." She warned.

"OK." Yoshino replied, nodding her head.

Shido stood up, looking at the Ain Avatar.

"Alright, now that we've settled all of this? The only thing left to do is the same thing I did with Aura and Sophie." He decided.

"Wait, are you saying you're..." She gasped.

"That's right, giving you a name. I've already got one set because of how I named your fellow Avatars." Shido confirmed, smiling as he said it.

He took a deep breath.

"You are now... Aini." Shido revealed.

Feeling her body glow, everyone watched as Aini's body briefly flashed, making her rub her eyes.

Once she moved her hands, everyone raised an eye as what changed about her was... absolutely nothing, which understandably confused her.

"What? What's everyone staring at?" Aini asked, blinking a few times.

"Nothing happened like with Aura and Sophie, or at least... nothing we can actually see." Mio explained.

"Really?" Aini repeated in shock.

Shiori quickly took out her makeup compact, showing Aini her reflection.

"Huh. Maybe because Ain is different, my change isn't as obvious to the naked eye? I'll try stretching and see if anything happens." Aini suggested.

She immediately took off into the sky, shouting loudly to everyone's surprise.

"In case anyone asks? Aini's always been the hyper to Aura's stoic and Sophie's naive, which is kind of ironic when you consider what she represents." Mio admitted, rubbing the back of her head.

After a bit, Aini suddenly slumped onto the ground.

"Nightie night..." She quietly said before yawning.

Aura and Sophie walked up to her and picked her up, soon looking to Mio.

"We'll take her back up to rest." Aura stated.

"OK, hope she feels better." Mio replied, a sweat drop of awkwardness on her face.

They soon flew into the sky, with everyone blinking a few times.

"Well... that was definitely an odd way to spend the last 30 minutes." Marina admitted, scratching her head.

"Yep." Maria nodded.

"Guess it's time for us to find whoever got the Zafkiel Crystal... actually, it isn't just that now. We need to hope we might find some clues to whoever impersonated Aini for who knows how long?" Shido decided.

Hearing that made everyone's eyes widen.

"Yeah, Shido's right... Rinne's father had to have met the fake based on what we've learned. I don't like the implications of that." Origami realized.

"And worse? It might explain some of the achievements we've recently seen from the DeNA." Tohka added.

Realizing that they needed to be on full alert, everyone began searching around the remains of Osaka... right as Kurumi walked out of a building's shadow.

"Quite the interesting story there. Now, let's play a little game of cat and mouse." Kurumi said, smirking once she did.

Her shadow spread out, causing a few silhouettes to form before they took flight. Once they had, Kurumi let out a small laugh before sinking back into the shadows, leaving Osaka and going to another part of Japan.

* * *

After walking for a while, the group paused at their lack of progress, feeling confused.

"Weird, why are we not finding anyone? Didn't we get an SOS?" Rinne questioned.

"Hmm... I'm starting to wonder if Aini unconsciously sent that without realizing it, and the Spirit we're looking for was just here by coincidence." Origami thought aloud.

The sound of crickets could be heard.

"Ugh... everyone, let's try this." Shiori decided, reaching into her bag.

Everyone saw her take out multiple wrist devices, holding them out.

"Here, put them on." She stated.

They quickly did, with each one changing to become its wearer's signature color. For the less obvious, this was the same color as Mio's hair for Shido, a pale blue for Shiori's, and gradients matching their hair for each Arusu sister.

"Cool! What are these?" Tohka asked.

"Since I felt the headsets were too risky for all communication? These are wrist phones I call the _Crystal Callers_ that we can use for each other, which also link to the systems of the Fraxinus if needed." Shiori answered.

Tapping a button, she brought up a map showing the scanner range of the Sephira Crystal's readings.

However, there was one slight difference with it this time, and Shiori's surprised expression implied that it wasn't her doing. Then again, that wasn't too hard to believe when the difference was that all of the Sephira Crystal's actual gem forms were shown, even the ones belonging to the Spirits they had yet to encounter.

"OK, that... I have no explanation for." She admitted.

"Maybe because we have Aini, and I gave her a name, it affected the scanners and we're able to see what the crystals look like?" Shido guessed.

Mio soon noticed one, smiling as she saw it.

"Look everyone, look! I can finally see what my Sephira Crystal looks like!" She exclaimed, pointing at it.

Everyone followed her finger, seeing a gem in a hexagonal cut lime the Camael Crystal's, only with the flat sides being circles, and the edges having a ring around them that the other Sephira Crystals lacked. These features, combined with the gemstone being rainbow-colored, truly made it one of a kind.

"Wow, the... _Sephirot Crystal_ looks pretty." Shido praised, giving it an official name.

"The others are all pretty cool themselves." Kotori remarked.

Looking at the rest, they saw the Zafkiel Crystal first, which looked just as Saya had described it.

Uriel's was shown to be like Sandalphon's, only it lacked the flat sides and had a longer bottom to likely represent how lightning struck the ground. Haniel's was fairly normal and looked like most gems did on a ring. Michael's was like Haniel, but with the bottom part cut off to make it symmetrical. Raphael was an upside triangle with the edges cut to make it resemble a cloud. Last was Raziel's, which was a square cut, giving it the shape of a book.

The only one that wasn't seen was Ekenor's.

"Figures it's Ekenor is the one we don't see, especially if it's because Aini never saw it." Maria sighed.

"Wait, I think I can fix that." Shido replied.

Holding out his Angel over Shiori's Crystal Caller, the spot with Ekenor soon revealed a purple crystal that looked like the Metatron Crystal, only having the length swapped with the width and shifted so the points were focused on the sides instead of up and down.

"Thank you." Shiori smiled.

"You're welcome." Shido replied.

"Anyways... back to the map here? It seems that the Zafkiel Crystal's wielder has moved, most likely after seeing the Fraxinus and believing it was a DeNA ship chasing after her." Shiori revealed, pointing at its new position.

Tapping her fingers for a moment, Origami got closer as she recognized something, making her gasp.

"She's in Kyoto now!" Origami exclaimed.

"Huh? Oh, you're right!" Shiori realized.

"Since Kyoto actually has a population, and I doubt this Spirit realizes we can track them, we can go after them without them running off again. Otherwise... we'll be chasing her across Japan for a long, long time." Marina suggested.

Mio's eyes sparkled at the mention of visiting Kyoto.

"Mio, are you trying to make us think you're only doing this for the traveling?" Shiori giggled.

"Uh... eh... well..." Mio mumbled, blushing in embarrassment.

Shido rubbed her back in reassurance before everyone headed back to the ship, with a shadowy spot on the walls watching the Fraxinus leave.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Tenguu City, Westcott and the Analysts were seen as Ratatoskr gave their first official report.

"So, you found the last of Mio's Avatars, but learned that not only did Mio never actually time travel... but that someone was posing as the Ain Avatar as a being under the name of Phantom all this time?" Westcott summarized.

"That's right. Yoshino said she met her, or maybe him for all we know, before that Hecatoncheires robot attacked the city. I'm pretty certain it wanted you to find the Zadkiel and Jophiel Crystals as well, but only after Mio came back from wherever." Shido confirmed.

Westcott scratched his chin.

"I see... this is slightly concerning since we don't know their motives, but I'm going to say they're likely aiding DeNA on some level. For now? About the Spirit, did you find anything?" He said to himself, soon raising an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid not, she fled to Kyoto, likely because she thought we were with the DeNA. We're hoping that being in a populated city might be able to help us reach out to her without her fleeing again." Shido answered.

"Alright, just keep up what you're doing. I'll check the security cameras for any moment this Phantom character could have contacted Yoshino." Westcott decided.

Shido nodded his head, soon ending the call.

"Get moving people, and try seeing if we can filter the video to somehow see this Phantom person. We may have more luck spotting her than with the Avatars if she merely borrowed the form of one." He ordered.

Everyone wasted no time pulling up all the camera feeds from the last few days.

However, this also kept them from noticing the link to the Fraxinus disappear.

* * *

Out of nowhere, everyone inside the Fraxinus felt the ship shake slightly, making them all show worried expressions.

"Quick, turn on the filters! Turn on the filters!" Maria panicked.

"Turning them on! Turning them on!" Marina replied.

The ship's filter revealed the outside... yet no one saw anything, nor did the ship seem damaged at all. This caused everyone to look blink in confusion.

"Uh..." Shido hummed, rubbing the back of his neck.

Everyone looked at Mio, who shrugged.

"Don't look at me, even I need some kind of evidence to explain something. We don't have any of that here." She stated.

"Huh... either I'm still getting used to the ship and that was my fault, or we hit some turbulence." Shiori assumed.

"Probably the former, as I don't think the Avoid realizer in the ship should let wind hit it when we're invisible." Kotori assumed, recalling some of her parents' creations.

*"BEEP!"*

"We are near the targeted energy source, all personal prepare to land when ready." The ship's system announced.

"OK, let's find a good landing zone." Shiori remarked.

After searching for a bit, Shiori managed to find a good spot and parked the ship there, then typed on the keyboard.

Following that, everyone was teleported outside to avoid revealing the ship's location.

"That's a nifty way to avoid giving us away by people walking into view out of nowhere." Mio praised, looking at where the ship had been parked.

Shiori soon looked at everyone.

"A little heads up? Just in case anyone intercepts our communication line, the Crystal Caller will use code names, so make sure not to bring up your names. For the code names themselves, they'll be based on the DEM's code names for you. I'll be known as _Spriggan_ , while Maria and Marina will be _Gemini 1_ and _Gemini 2_ respectively." She revealed.

Then she looked at Shido.

"As for you? Since your powers connect to all of the Spirits, and can influence them in some ways, I've decided that _Sephirot_ will be your code name." Shiori continued.

"I like it, especially since it reflects our connection to each other." Mio smiled, cuddling up to Shido.

Shiori giggled at that.

"Anyways, I think it's time we get into the city." She decided.

Everyone nodded in agreement, and the members of Ratatoskr walked into Kyoto... which is when most of them felt their eyes widen in surprise.

"Uh... it is still May, right?" Shido questioned, sweating slightly.

"What's the problem?" Tohka asked, feeling three question marks form above her head.

Shido pointed towards the various decorations based on stars.

"Something's wrong here... let me check my phone." Shiori decided.

The moment her eyes looked at the date, she suddenly gasped as she showed it to everyone, revealing it was _July 7th_ , making the group either scream or gasp.

"Today's the Star Festival! No way, how is this possible? How'd two months suddenly go by!?" Kotori screamed.

"Star... Festival?" Tohka repeated.

"Uh... well, I guess until we figure things out? It's a holiday in Japan that honors the story of Hikoboshi and Orihime, a pair of lovers who can only meet each other one day a year due to their love causing them to stop working, which is today." Shido explained.

"See, if it rains on the day they're meant to meet? Then they lose their chance. As such, the tradition began by people wishing it wouldn't rain, eventually leading to using these slips of paper to make wishes. If the rain doesn't come, then the Celestial King rewards the wishes that guarantee their meeting." Shiori continued.

"Originally, the wishes had no actual proof of coming true... unless it was something like wishing for a certain meal at dinner, and even then, that was chance. However, as of Mio's actions 30 years ago? The wishes, provided they're realistic, selfless, and a few other factors... actually come true." Origami revealed, smiling.

Mio, Tohka, and Rinne all gasped upon hearing that, their eyes white in absolute shock.

"Really? That's awesome!" Mio exclaimed.

"I've got to try it!" Tohka exclaimed as well.

Shido giggled at their reactions, right as his older twin checked the current time, seeing it was 7 AM.

"It's still a bit early to write our wishes, so let's check out the festivities." Shiori suggested.

Kotori paused for a moment, then her eyes widened.

"Guys, if I remember right, didn't Saya tell us her friend Kurumi has time powers? If that sudden shift on our shift was when we time traveled, that could mean..." She realized.

Everyone suddenly gasped.

"Either this is where Kurumi is, or she actually _is_ the Spirit we're looking for!" Shido realized.

"Then let's get into the theme, just in case." Miku suggested, motioning to their clothing.

Mio nodded, moving to an alley corner before motioning the others to follow her, which the others quickly did. After a few seconds, a few flashes went off.

The members of Ratatoskr all walked out, their clothing having either been altered to gain a star theme, or swapped into different closes based on the Star Festival.

"Ooh! Shido, your clothes have me _starstruck_." Mio giggled, blushing a little.

Shido blushed and rubbed his cheek slightly.

"Hey, is the food here based on the celebration?" Tohka asked, noticing it.

Shido looked.

"There's some Bamboo Leaf Castella Cake over there, fitting the trees we use for the wish papers." He answered.

"And that?" Tohka asked, pointing at the shaved ice.

"Milky Way Shaved Ice, it represents the Milky Way used to separate Hikoboshi and Orihime." Shido answered.

"And that?" Tohka asked, pointing at the cotton candy.

"That's just cotton candy, and I think it represents how Orihime is a weaver." Shido answered.

"And that?" Tohka asked, pointing at cups of jerky.

"Jerky, because Hikoboshi herds cows." Shido answered, starting to feel a sweat drop on his cheek.

Everyone laughed a little themselves.

"And that... oh, never mind. I think that's based on the wish papers." Tohka giggled, noticing the papers already stacked at tables for later.

"Wait, is that chicken? That doesn't make sense." Kotori asked, noticing it.

"Actually, it does. Hikoboshi is also known as Altair, which is a star in Aquila, the Eagle constellation. I'm also seeing lyre-shaped hard candies since Orihime is also known as Vega, a star in Lyra, which is a lyre." Origami explained.

Kotori silently nodded her head, now understanding those choices of food.

"I'll take five of everything!" Mio shouted, placing the money on the table.

Everyone looked at her.

"Whoa, she's fast!" Miku remarked.

They quickly caught up to her, right as Kurumi walked into view, similarly dressed like them as she ate some castella.

"They don't even know they're in my City of Devouring Time." She whispered, followed by a silent giggle.

* * *

Since they were in a public area and had Shiori's Crystal Callers, everyone decided to split into groups of two (and one group of three), which left Shido with Mio, Tohka with Origami, Kotori with Yoshino, Shiori with Miku, and Rinne with the Arusu sisters.

After walking for a bit, Mio suddenly gasped as she saw something, making Shido blink as he backtracked to see what it was.

"Hey Mio, what are you looking at-"

Shido suddenly paused and then felt his face go red as he saw it, it was an ad for trying wedding dresses.

"Shido, can we go and try one on?" Mio begged, looking at him with a slight blush.

"I... doubt this offer applies to students still in high school. Not to mention, why do you want to wear one anyways?" Shido replied, feeling a nervous sweat on his face.

Mio turned to the side, blushing more.

"Because I've thought about wearing one ever since when I lived with your parents, back when they were your age." She admitted.

Shido gave a silent gasp at that.

"Had I not vanished for 30 years... I could have been in one by now." Mio continued, rubbing her arm.

'That's right, my father told me he would have married her had she come back due to the change in polygamy laws.' Shido recalled, looking down slightly.

His attention shifted slightly as Mio grabbed his hands, making him blush as she gave him the puppy dogs eyes.

"Oh... alright, but you give up on this if they tell us no. Deal?" He decided.

"Deal!" Mio agreed.

Shido blushed as Mio hugged him, before he went inside.

* * *

Shiori hummed as she tapped her Crystal Caller, noticing the Zafkiel Crystal's readings seemed to shift around.

"I can't tell if this is due to time travel messing up the readings, or if she's teleporting around the city." She wondered aloud, trying to find some kind of pattern.

"I have no idea how to work that, so don't ask me." Miku replied.

Shiori rolled her eyes at her girlfriend's response, which is when they noticed Kotori and Yoshino waiting in line for something.

"Oh, hey guys! What are you in line for?" Shiori asked.

Yoshino held up her two puppets, making Shiori blink.

"We found this observatory that's doing a projected show about Orihime and Hikoboshi, now we're going to see it!" Yoshino replied, talking via Hop.

"Don't ask. She just pulled them out." Kotori replied, shaking her head as she looked the other way.

"Aw... that makes me and Hop sad." Yoshino replied, making a said face as she talked via Scotch.

Miku giggled into her hand slightly, finding the twin rabbit puppets on Yoshino's hands adorable, despite the faces of Kotori and Shiori holding the opposite view.

* * *

Tohka and Origami were seen walking through an area as they tried to figure out the Crystal Callers, with Tohka... having little luck.

"Come on, come on..." She mumbled, hitting it a few times.

"Mine's acting weird too, maybe there's something in the city that's causing some interference with their signal?" Origami replied.

Tohka suddenly stopped and held her hand out, making Origami walk into it.

Specifically, her stomach walked into it, making her briefly hold it in pain.

"Sorry! But... look! Look at this!" Tohka apologized, pointing forward as she motioned Origami's head at what she saw.

Origami was confused, but soon the delayed reaction of seeing Shido walk into a building with the wedding ad next to it.

"They... they couldn't be, right?" She questioned.

"I'm not sure. Despite that all of us are his girlfriends, you can't deny how Mio's usually the one he flirts with." Tohka replied.

"Oh boy, you're right!" Origami realized.

Both prepared to go after the duo, only to suddenly notice some shadows in the nearby alley.

"Hey, wait a second. Wasn't that-" Tohka gasped.

"Quick, into that alley!" Origami shouted.

They quickly ran into it, with the shadow fleeing as the real Kurumi peaked out of the wall they just ran past.

"Honestly, this is too easy." She giggled.

And with that, she slipped back into the wall, continuing her little game of deceit as she waited for the right moment.

Mio soon saw Shido walk back outside.

"Like I thought, they told us no." He sighed.

"Here, let me try convincing them." Mio decided.

Shido let her try, having a good feeling her luck wasn't going to be any better than his was.

* * *

Shido soon found himself in a white suit, unable to believe that Mio had actually done it.

"Did she use the puppy dog eyes on that lady?" He questioned.

"It's time!" The receptionist exclaimed, slamming the door open.

Shido jumped at that, having no time to reply as he was pulled out of the room, leaving his Crystal Caller unattended as Kurumi rose from the floor.

"Perfect." She smiled, putting her hand on it.

Shido was soon brought to a door, feeling the lady hitting him on the back for what he guessed was good luck.

"Please, go right ahead." She smiled.

'Well, here I go...' Shido breathed.

Opening the door, he soon saw Mio looking at the window, wearing a gorgeous wedding outfit that resembled her Astral Dress if there were a few additions to it.

Shido felt his breath and words disappeared, right as Mio turned to look at him.

"If you're staring at me like that? You either really like it, or there's something on my face." Mio smiled, blushing a little.

"Y-yeah, the former. You're... a total knockout right now." Shido admitted.

"Aww~" Mio smiled.

Shido soon got close to her ear, getting her attention as he noticed the receptionist lady crying happy tears.

"How'd you convince her to let us do this?" He asked.

"I may have fibbed just a bit, and told her that my mother is sick with an incurable disease, so I wanted to get a picture to make sure she got to see me in a wedding photo before she lost the fight." Mio whispered, giggling a bit.

Shido's eyes widened.

"Holy... what's next? You winning a bargain festival by paying only $5?" He questioned, chuckling a little.

"Nah, I only pulled that card since this was for free." Mio waved, giggling some more.

Soon the receptionist lady came back with a camera.

"Hey kids, guess what? We've got the chapel set up for a couple's photo shoot if you'd like the picture there!" She offered.

Mio took Shido's hand, making him blush.

"Shall we, my groom?" Mio teased.

"Uh... s-sure, my lovely bride." Shido replied.

It wasn't long before they were in the chapel, standing together at the altar as the receptionist lady readied the camera.

"OK, scoot together just a bit! And make sure you smile! Remember, you're happy!" She said, happy tears in her eyes.

Mio hugged Shido's arm in response.

*"CLICK!"*

And with that, their souvenir photo was taken.

* * *

The Arusu sisters and Rinne were seen walking around with just as little luck, which is when Rinne noticed the table for wish papers was finally made available.

"Hey guys, looks like we can make our wishes now." Rinne smiled.

"Let the others know. Meanwhile, the three of us will get to be first." Marina remarked.

Maria was already seen writing hers.

"Hey!" Marina exclaimed.

Rinne giggled as she joined them.

Before long, the others besides Shido and Mio (since they were still currently getting their photo taken) were all sitting at different tables as they all wrote their respective wishes, hoping they would all come true.

"Mine's ready." Rinne smiled.

"Let's try finding where everyone else is. If we're going to hang these, then considering our group's name, we should have them on the same tree." Maria decided.

"Fair reasoning." Marina agreed.

* * *

With their souvenir photo in hand, Mio was seen with a happy smile and blush on her face, holding the folder that contained it as Shido checked his Crystal Caller.

"Hey Mio, it looks like they're letting people use the wish papers now." Shido mentioned.

"Really? Come on, let's go make our wishes then!" Mio decided, stars in her eyes.

Shido and Mio soon reached a table and began making their wishes, with Shido being the first to do so. After he did, he looked at Mio.

"What did you wish for?" He asked.

She giggled before making a shushing motion, wanting to keep it secret for now.

"Now come on, the others want us to put our wishes on the same tree, so let's go meet up with all of them." Mio reminded him.

"Yeah, it shouldn't be too hard to find them." Shido replied, nodding his head.

As they walked to reunite with the others, Mio had a thought enter her mind.

"Hey Shido, I remember when you were confused about Miku's confession, you used Hikoboshi and Orihime as part of your comparison. That makes me wonder something... what would happen if neither of them could meet each other for a long time? Like the 30 years I was gone were all years where the rain kept them apart?" She asked.

"That depends... why are you asking?" Shido asked.

"Because time can be a double-edged sword. It can be the kindest force, healing the wounds born of suffering and sorrow, but it can also be the cruelest... and take away the feelings of two people who've been apart for so long that their connection disappears. I think Shin is a good example of that." Mio answered.

Shido went silent, realizing he and his father represented those two sides.

"More than that, it makes me wonder... if I had continued to be away from this world, how long would it be before I was essentially forgotten? I recall Mana once told me that people stay alive through those who remember them, and only when everyone forgets you does one truly die." Mio continued.

"Wow... I've honestly never thought that deeply about such things." Shido admitted.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he soon smiled at her.

"Although, I'd like to think maybe on some level? These two would never forget each other if the river kept them apart... because maybe that isn't the only way they can meet like in the ancient past." He answered.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well, remember what Origami said earlier? Hikoboshi and Orihime are tied to stars that make up the Eagle and Lyre constellations. I think that has to mean something. Maybe the eagle is Hikoboshi's, and they use it to send messages to each other, while the lyre is Orihime's, who could use it to calm the river or sing songs in a similar manner." Shido suggested.

Mio's eyes widened at those ideas.

"And most of all... their love could be strong enough they found ways to sneak past the Celestial King's restrictions. For all we know? The day you changed this world, maybe the river between them was finally moved away, or the King's power could no longer keep them away and they finally crossed the river without going back. One could say this is why wishes now come true. We did so much for them, they're returning our kindness." Shido smiled, blushing as he rubbed his cheek.

Mio felt happy tears well in her eyes, getting his attention.

"Mio, are you alright?" He asked.

"S-Sorry, I'm OK. It's just... I kind of hope your story is really how it is. Because if so, then they're a lot like you and me." She answered.

He smiled at that.

Before they knew it, the others saw them coming.

"Shido! Mio! Over here!" Miku called to them.

Noticing their friends, the two ran over, their wishes all in hand.

"We found a good tree over here, one with a reachable yet unused top." Kotori mentioned.

"Why's that important?" Tohka asked.

"They say the closer the wish is to the heavens, which the higher parts of a tree are? The more likely or more quickly it is to come true." Yoshino answered.

Tohka's eyes sparkled at that.

"Alright, here we go everyone." Shido smiled.

Getting to that tree's top, they placed all their wishes on the tree, revealing them to the skies above.

 _"I wish for Spacequakes to go away peacefully - Shido Takamiya"_

 _"I wish for our safe journey - Shiori Takamiya"_

 _"I wish the other Spirits find the same happiness as we do - Tohka Yatogami"_

 _"I wish that I can be more confident for myself and for others - Origami Tobiichi"_

 _"I wish for the courage to fight with my friends - Yoshino Mizui"_

 _"I wish my relationship with Shido goes well - Kotori Itsuka"_

 _"I wish my sister would take things more seriously - Maria Arusu"_

 _"I wish my sister would loosen up - Marina Arusu"_

 _"I wish for this world to become more beautiful - Rinne Sonogami"_

 _"I wish for my songs to reach the hearts of everyone - Miku Izayoi"_

As Mio put hers up, Shido looked at her.

"Seriously, what did you wish for?" Shido whispered, wanting to know.

"I'll tell you later." Mio replied, winking at him.

After saying that, everyone continued their search for Kurumi.

 _"I wish... for my friends' happiness - Mio Takamiya"_

However, there was another wish paper under hers that none of them noticed, and by someone that things implied wouldn't have even made one.

 _"I wish to see them one last time - Kurumi Tokisaki"_

It touched Kurumi's wish, almost as if trying to say something to her.

* * *

Late afternoon quickly came before any of them realized it, with Yoshino yawning as the combined hours from the time shift finally hit her.

"Any luck in finding the Zafkiel wielder?" She asked.

"No, and it's getting dark. Maybe we should call it a day and pick things up tomorrow morning. Especially since after the apparent time jump we went through, we should let everyone know we're OK." Shido replied.

Looking at each other for a bit, the members of Ratatoskr soon nodded in agreement.

"You guys go on ahead then, I'll go buy some food for dinner." Shido decided.

"OK then, see you there." Mio agreed.

Everyone began heading back to the ship, with Shido going to find the marketplace. However, midway into the former group's trip, Mio realized she didn't have her folder.

"Crap... I never got it back from Shido when I had to make that trip to the bathroom." She remembered.

She went back into the city to find him, and right as her boyfriend was about to near the marketplace...

"You've been quite the stalker today, haven't you Shido?" Kurumi whispered, standing right behind him.

Shido's eyes widened as he suddenly jumped, turning around to see Kurumi's face, which caused him to gasp as he recognized her from Saya's picture.

"Hey, you're Kurumi!" He realized.

"I am? Strange, I don't remember sharing my name... just like you never said you were a Half-Spirit." She questioned, soon giving a dark smirk.

Shido's widened again as arms suddenly shot out of the ground, pushing him into a nearby alley way as the folder and Crystal Caller fell off his form.

"W-What's going on!?" He questioned, feeling a chill through his skin.

"You've been looking for me since Osaka, right? It's quite interesting to know you're so determined to find me... though let me tell you a little secret. I'm! Not! Friendly!" Kurumi answered, never dropping her smile.

"Just... just what are you doing?" Shido wheezed, feeling a hand grip his neck slightly.

Kurumi giggled as her clock eye briefly flashed into view.

"I'm here for the same reason you are, though in the sense I'm here for you." She revealed, making Shido's eyes widen.

"No... don't tell me you're with the DeNA..." He realized.

Hearing that, Kurumi stared at him before laughing like he was some kind of idiot.

"DeNA? I have no idea what you're talking about. I only see something in you, something that makes me yearn for your power enough to pull you into my time trap." Kurumi answered.

At that moment, Mio ran by and noticed the folder and Shido's Crystal Caller on the ground. Shido was quick to notice her.

"Huh? Why are these-" She asked.

"MIO!"

Turning to the side, Mio gasped as she saw him in Kurumi's gasp, making the Spirit who controls shadows to give her a dark grin.

 **"E-"**

Mio failed to say her Astral Dress' name as someone grabbed her by the arms and covered her mouth, revealing it was a copy of Kurumi. Looking behind her in surprise, the real deal laughed a bit.

"Sorry sweetie, but I'm afraid you and your boyfriend... need to be broken up." Kurumi stated.

Sinking into her shadow, she grabbed Shido and began dragging her with him, making Mio release a muffled scream as she tried to move out of the clone's gasp.

Unfortunately, she could only watch as Shido was swallowed into the darkness, only being let go of once it was too late to do anything.

"No..." She breathed, a look of horror on her face.

"From my main self to you? I have this message to pass on, _bon voyage_." Kurumi's Clone said, giving a small curtsy.

She vanished into the darkness.

As she did, Mio stared at the ground, quickly devolving into a quiet sob as she held his Crystal Caller and the folder of their picture close.

She didn't even see the wish paper of Kurumi's flying through the wind inside said folder.

* * *

Back on the ship, everyone felt the same strange feeling they had no explanation for, despite still being on the ground.

"It happened again!" Kotori shouted.

"Oh boy... let me check something." Shiori replied, taking her phone out.

She gasped as the date revealed it was now an hour past Midnight... on _May 14th!_ The original date if every hour they had spent in the future had also occurred in the present day.

"It's May again!" She revealed, showing everyone her phone.

This caused everyone to become understandably nervous.

"Shido's still out in the city! Who knows what could happen while he's there!" Origami panicked.

"Wait, it isn't just him! Mio isn't here either!" Yoshino realized.

Everyone finally noticed her absence, making them all scream.

Quickly tapping her Crystal Caller, Shiori tried to make contact with either of them, managing to get a call in through Shido's.

"S-Shiori..." Mio answered, crying as she did.

"Mio? Why are you answering my little brother's caller?" She asked, feeling nervous.

Mio sniffled.

"I found the Spirit, and it is Kurumi like Saya believed... all while watching her take Shido." She revealed.

Shiori's arm slumped to the ground, with her and everyone else giving a blank stare at that revelation.

Ratatoskr's leader was missing, and worse?

They may have just found a Spirit that had chosen, without even being in their Inverse Form, to be their enemy.

* * *

 **Ooh... what a twist, huh? Just as everyone finds the Avatar of Ain, now named Aini, they have their luck turn against them as Kurumi kidnaps Shido! Even worse? Mio was there and couldn't do a thing, just because Kurumi had one of her clones cover her mouth. *shivers* If that trick worked on Miku just to block out her voice? With how the Spirits need to call out the names of their Astral Dresses and Angels here, that can be quite the weakness to exploit.**

 **Having Kurumi capture Shido was also a necessary event, as if he was present to help his fellow girls fight her? He would have rendered her easy prey with the Sephira Fusion or using his Silence ability, not to mention using Purify could easily have an effect depending on the reason behind why she's acting like she is. She claims to not be with the DeNA, but time will tell if that's the truth or a lie.**

 **Then we have the twist of her pulling the group into the future somehow, or what may have been some kind of illusion, if not something like Eden's similar time manipulation. This was actually why I chose to have them sent to the time of the Tanabata/Star Festival, as we all know about the Short Story/OVA where Kurumi is the focus during this event, and Mio being in her place is also a fun nod to their canon history. That... and I just really wanted to do it.**

 **Things are going to be hectic for a while, because until the others find where Shido is and rescue him? Mio has to lead the members of Ratatoskr, and unlike Shido, she doesn't have the same experience in leading due to her naivety. Considering how Kurumi was the canon wake up call for us and Shido alike that saving all the Spirits wouldn't be so simple? This is Mio's wakeup call in learning to lead.**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	17. Spiritual Substitute

**Glad to see that last chapter was praised so much, especially because of how Kurumi kidnapped Shido without leaving any hints or reasons behind why she needs him. After all, the canon Kurumi only wanted him for the powers he sealed, but the Shido of this story lacks that power. Maybe her reasons fall under something a little more... romantic? *giggles* Who knows?**

 **At the very least, now that we've made it this far, I have to confess something. That confession is... I lied! This isn't the Kurumi arc we're in, but the Kurumi _Saga_ , with many things I said in the last few arcs being necessary fibs I said to make you think one thing while sneaking in another. What things were the lies I'll need to keep secret for now, but the story will slowly reveal the truth bit by bit, this chapter especially.**

 **Anyways, Shido won't be around to lead Ratatoskr for a while, meaning Mio has to lead the group by herself and they have to help her until then. That'll be hard enough for the harem when they've got just as much reason to be worried about their boyfriend being taken, but it's worse since Kurumi showed in the previous chapter how easily she was able to fool the group.**

 **This chapter is also where, after last chapter showed us at least stretching beyond Tenguu City, our heroes will finally go outside Japan's borders. You've all waited patiently for some world building, and now you'll get to see it! The funniest part is since everyone's chasing Kurumi? In a sense, we're only seeing it now because she's forced everyone to follow her around as their tour guide, so... thanks for your offer Kurumi!**

 **Oh, and guess what? Today is my birthday! *giggles* Since none of you can give me an actual birthday present? I'd like to ask a request, if anyone can do it. If you have the time when reading this story, please leave a review. I've been having a confidence issue recently, so hearing how you enjoy this story would help restore it. You don't have to, but I would appreciate it.**

 **Now, with all of that said and all of you now aware... let the chapter and the Kurumi Saga officially begin!**

* * *

 **[Chapter 17 - Spiritual Substitute]**

Shido opened his eyes, but he only saw blackness, representing the shadows he had been pulled into by Kurumi. It took him a moment, but he managed to remember what had happened to him and stood up.

"Oh man... I've gotta get out of here!" He realized, holding his hand out.

His Angel began to materialize, however...

*"BANG!"*

Shido screamed as his hand was shot, making it bleed slightly as his Angel disappeared.

"Naughty Shido." Kurumi replied.

Turning around, he saw her walk into view, holding one of the two guns that made Zafkiel, which was smoking as a result of its recent gunshot. Finally having a good look at the Spirit who had kidnapped him... his mind was quickly forced to admit her beauty.

She had long black hair reached to the area between her waist and hips, with some of it slightly tied in something like twin tails, which made them look something like droopy cat ears. Her attire, which was her Astral Dress, was a black Gothic Lolita dress with red and white as its secondary colors. It was fairly revealing, showing off her legs to reveal socks that looked like stockings and her black boots.

However, the most interesting part of her attire were the big ribbons tying the _ears_ of her hair, as both the ribbon and tied hair by her left eye were both noticeably longer.

"What's going on here? Why did you capture me!?" Shido demanded.

Kurumi stayed silent, answering in a much more... unique manner.

Shido quickly learned what that was as a bunch of shadowy hands grabbed him, making his eyes shake as he saw more of Kurumi's clones appear, all of them laughing as he barely managed to notice how some had different appearances compared to the original.

"Tell me Shido, do you like my history?" She inquired.

"History?" Shido repeated.

"Simple, what you see right now aren't clones, but literally personifications of who I was throughout my life. A good way to put it? These are literal shadows of my past, all of which who do exactly what I ask of them." Kurumi replied.

He was quickly pulled to the ground, right as some shadows wrapped around him and began gripping him. Kurumi soon walked up to Shido, using her finger to raise his chin.

"And right now? I have them making sure nothing you do prevents me from doing... this." She smiled.

Before he could even react, she kissed him on the lips, and that's when things took a turn for the worst.

Suddenly, the shadows grabbing him start forcing themselves through his skin, and then... it was clear that whatever they were doing wouldn't be good, for him at least.

"W-What's... happening to me?" He questioned, gasping for air.

"I have a lot of plans for you, but the one thing that's my personal preference in this? It's stealing a handsome man like you for myself." Kurumi revealed, lacing a seductive tone into her voice.

Shido panicked, and tried to struggle free.

As he tried this, Kurumi's clock eye glowed, leaving him in a trance as the darkness was close to fully entering him.

"That's right, you're mine now Shido... all mine." She smiled.

Kurumi moved near his face and kissed him, leaving Shido to flinch before he collapsed forward, leaving Kurumi to hold him before continuing to kiss his unconscious form.

* * *

Westcott was currently trying to keep a poker face right now, staring at Shiori through the video screen.

"OK, let me make sure I understand all of this correctly... you went to Kyoto after the Spirit with Zafkiel led you there, found you had been sent forward to the day of the Star Festival without any warning, and then Shido was kidnapped by that same Spirit before you were pulled back to the past?" He questioned, barely holding a twitch.

"Yeah, I'm afraid so... and worse? The said Spirit is Kurumi Tokisaki, the friend Saya asked us to search for. How can we tell her the truth when her best friend/sister seems to have become our enemy?" Shiori confirmed.

Westcott just went silent before standing up, then walking away, to everyone's surprise and confusion.

"Elliot, you finish the call." He requested.

Elliot paused before moving into the video screen, leaving everyone dumbfounded by Westcott's actions.

"Um... well, right now? You need to figure out what's happened to Shido, and how to deal with Kurumi, so... Mio's your other leader, please trust in what she asks of you." He replied.

With that, the call ended, and everyone just stared.

"Did dad really just do that?" Maria asked.

"Yes, and that felt incredibly lazy for being put on the spot, even for him." Marina confirmed, shaking her head.

Shiori slammed her head on her console.

"What are we going to do? That is, unless Mio's stopped being a hot mess and finished crying over this whole situation." She asked.

The other Spirits didn't reply, all looking away.

"How's... everyone else handling it?" Yoshino asked.

"I'm fine enough, but... I can't really say the same for Tohka, Miku, Origami, and Kotori... all for the same reasons Mio's a mess right now." Rinne answered.

Everyone could clearly see they were just as troubled by what happened, considering it was their boyfriend who just got taken away.

"What's wrong? Why does everyone look so sad?" Aini asked.

The sudden appearance of their newest ally made everyone jump, looking to see her floating in the center of the room.

"How long have you been there!?" Shiori exclaimed.

"Just now?" Aini asked, confused by the question.

Mio finally walked out of her room, her face still stained with tears as she could be heard sniffling a bit, and noticed Aini was in the room.

"Aini?" She sniffled.

"Oh no, Mio's crying! Something bad happened!" She gasped.

She hugged Mio close, looking at everyone.

"Uh... not it-" Shiori tried to say.

"NOT IT!" Everyone shouted.

Shiori groaned before turning to Aini, explaining the entire situation to her... which left the Avatar of Ain to give a horrified look, one that everyone quickly noticed.

"Aini, do you... know something about this?" Rinne asked, remembering what they learned yesterday.

"Well... not exactly, but I do feel this may kind of... possibly... maybe could be my fault due to something I didn't do long ago." She replied.

"I... what?" Yoshino asked, feeling her mind trip over her words.

Aini looked away slightly and lowering her head, taking a deep breath.

"Like I did for nearly everyone, I gave Kurumi her Sephira Crystal, but... she never saw me... and I didn't exactly offer it to her. In fact, you have every right to call me a coward over what I did." Aini confessed.

"I don't like where this is going..." Maria remarked.

"Nope." Maria agreed, shaking her head.

Aini took a deep breath, making everyone listen closely as she recalled what happened.

"While I don't remember how many Sephira Crystals I had already given out by then, they seemed to be asking me to find the people they needed to bond with in a certain order, but... I had been having trouble finding Zafkiel's partner. However, that changed one fateful night, though I'm not sure if it was because of good luck, considering what happened next..." She began.

Her eyes closed as she recalled the memory.

* * *

 _The scene opened to Tenguu City somewhere between 4 to 5 years ago, with Aini standing in a certain place as she held the Zafkiel Crystal, scratching her head as she tried to figure out what was happening._

 _"I don't get it? I've been here for an entire week already, and I've seen no signs of who you need to bond to. Where is she?" Aini said to herself._

 _Sighing a bit, Aini decided to float across the ground and look one last time for the day._

 _At the same time of this, the sight of a hysterical looking Kurumi could be seen, tears in her eyes as she just ran ahead with her eyes closed. As she kept running, neither Aini or Kurumi saw them nearing each other, until finally..._

 _*"BUMP!"*_

 _Aini's eyes widened as she was knocked over, and the Zafkiel Crystal flew through the air, while Kurumi tumbled... right near a flight of stairs. Getting on her feet, Aini gasped in horror as she saw Kurumi land at the bottom._

 _She wasn't moving._

 _"Oh god... oh god, oh god! OH... MY GOD!" Aini screamed, justifiably panicking at what happened._

 _As she left the guilt of accidentally killing someone make her panic, the Zafkiel Crystal shook a little._

 _That got her attention as it shot into Kurumi's stomach, causing_ _Aini to run off as Kurumi gasping, getting back on her feet as she began panicking over the sight of shadows starting to rise around her body._

 _Aini covered her ears as she heard her screams, trying to block it all out._

* * *

The stares of shock as they heard Aini's story finish were ones she all expected, simply nodding her head.

"I wasn't responsible for it, and it wasn't intentional, but I'm still why it even happened on some level... and for that very reason? I did the most cowardly thing I could have, and ran away." She finished.

Tears flowed out of her unseen eyes, along with some guilty whimpering.

"At that moment, I could have tried to help her... but I panicked! I hadn't even talked to this girl, so how could I just go up to her, and then tell her she died along with everything else when she already looked... unstable?" Aini questioned.

"That fits with what Saya told us. That after the Tenguu Fire, she wasn't the same for the next few months." Rinne recalled.

Aini winced at that.

"Hold on you guys, Saya also made it clear Kurumi wasn't a Spirit before she disappeared. It seems more like Aini's encounter with her was on the day she left." Shiori reminded them.

Rinne rubbed her cheek in response.

"Yeah, guess she did..." She realized.

"OK, I think we can all agree that we have no idea what's up with Kurumi. I mean... for all we know, the Zafkiel Crystal might just have a Maryoku taint or something." Kotori mentioned, throwing out a theory.

"She has a point. Her actions now don't change we how need all the Spirits on our side to have any chance at stopping the DeNA for good." Origami agreed.

Mio still had her head lowered as Tohka started rubbing her head.

"Don't worry, we'll find a way... together. You and Shido lead this team together, so right now, we're trusting you to lead us while he isn't here." She encouraged.

"But... I led you all with Shido, how am I supposed to do this by myself?" Mio asked.

"Westcott wouldn't have tasked you to help lead us if he didn't trust your decisions, and Shido's always trusted the input you shared with him. Now it's time for you to realize how important it is by being the one who leads us to save Shido." Tohka smiled.

Mio's eyes widened at that.

She looked at everyone, seeing them all giving her a look of belief and certainty, which quickly caused tears to fill her eyes.

"Alright... no more crying!" Mio decided, wiping her eyes.

"And she's back!" Miku cheered.

Before anyone Mio properly react?

Miku hugged her and kissed her on the cheek, making Mio's face go red before she fell on the floor.

"Yeah... please don't do that, at least until Shido is safe and back with us..." Mio suggested.

"Oops." Miku apologized, blushing in embarrassment.

She got back on her feet, then shook her head to get her mind back in order from Miku's surprise affection attack.

"Now, first thing we do? We need to figure out Kurumi's two big tricks. The time bubble, and as I saw? Clones." Mio stated.

"Well, we know that while we were in the former? Tracking her is completely impossible. It seems like there was a reading for each day between our present and the future we had been pulled into." Shiori recalled.

"And with the latter? I didn't get to learn much, besides her clone got behind me and shut my mouth in an instant. Taking that into mind... these clones could be anywhere." Mio mentioned.

Kotori closed her eyes, feeling the right one twitch as she began to think.

"If we got near her, she could just throw up another time bubble and throw us off on two fronts again. Though even if she didn't, those clones could easily throw us off if she had us on a goose chase she planted. The best way we could overcome those is..." She thought aloud.

It didn't take long before actual steam started burning from her head.

"Damn it! Her powers are living cheats! How do we deal with them!?" She questioned, her body setting itself on fire.

A bunch of foam suddenly sprayed at her, dousing the flames as she blinked a few times.

"Pops considered you could potentially set the ship on fire when you got angry." Marina explained.

"That's fair." Kotori reluctantly agreed, brushing the foam off.

Mio sighed, crossing her arms under her chest.

"I do think Kotori has a point... it seems like we have no way to counter those, and as long as that's the case? We're basically puppets being guided by Kurumi's string." She reluctantly admitted.

Aini suddenly paused at that wording, and then smiled as an idea hit her.

"We fight fire with fire!" She exclaimed.

"Huh?" Everyone replied, looking confused.

"If we can't beat her while she expects what we're doing, then we just need to cause dissension among her clones!" Aini explained.

"OK, but how would we do that?" Miku asked, justifiably confused.

Aini smiled at that.

"Remember when I told you about how quickly the Haniel Crystal bonded to its wielder?" She answered.

Mio's eyes widened.

"Haniel has the power of metamorphosis! If we had someone who could turn into Kurumi on our side, then we'd be able to throw her off!" She realized.

Everyone smiled at that.

"It may only work once, but with how confident Kurumi looked? I can totally see us pulling it off." Tohka remarked.

"Alright, then we know where to go." Shiori decided.

And with that, the Fraxinus began flying in the direction their map showed the Haniel Crystal. As this was happening, one of Kurumi's clones rose from the nearby shadows, raising an eye at the sight of them leaving.

'They're leaving instead of trying to find me and Shido? What are they up to?" Kurumi thought.

She quickly slithered into the ship's shadow, leaving all of Ratatoskr unaware of their hitchhiker.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at DEM Industries, Saya was seen walking through the hallways, trying to clear her head as she let her mind be consumed about possible worries related to Kurumi.

"Seriously, why did I tell them? It was a bad idea and I should have... no, no. Stop telling yourself that, maybe you'll get good news?" Saya said to herself, breathing heavily.

"This is not good Ellen, not at all." Westcott said.

Saya paused, slowly turning to a door before looking around, then sneaking close to it as she put her ear to the door and listened.

"You're telling me, how do we bring up to Shido and Mana that their son was captured by a crazy Spirit!?" Ellen questioned.

Hearing that, Saya started to sweat.

'Please say they ran into a different Spirit, please say they ran into a different Spirit, please say that ran into a different-' She begged.

"That's like asking how we tell Saya that it's her best friend/sister that did it. That's going to break her heart." Westcott mentioned.

And in response?

*"BUMP! THUD!"*

Ellen and Westcott paused, slowly turning to the door. Saya, who made both sounds from slipping in shock, immediately looked around for a place to hide before quickly jumping and barely standing on the door edges.

She glanced down as it opened, with the two looking around for whoever could have made the sound, completely missing her.

"Maybe there's something in the pipes or the vents? I'll have someone check the walls around this room." Westcott assumed.

"I'm not sure, it feels like we're missing something..." Ellen replied.

After another minute passed? They closed the door, and Saya let out a silent sigh of relief before dropping down and running off to the Student Council's office.

She had questions, and she was going to get answers!

* * *

Yoshino smiled as she saw the ocean above her, her only regret being the rearranged world leaving her unaware which one she was looking at.

As this was happening, Aini was drawing the Haniel Crystal's Spirit on paper as the others watched her, said drawing having enough quality to be easily understood.

"OK, when I last saw her, she was... how old is everyone here?" Aini stated, raising an eye.

"Maria and Marina are the youngest at 14, while Miku is the oldest at 17." Shiori answered.

Aini paused at looked at Kotori.

"How old are you now and how old were you when I gave you Camael?" She asked.

"15 and I just turned 10 around then." Kotori answered.

"Then I think she was about your age. While the green hair is obvious, she also had green eyes and was a bit short for her age, looking kind of like... this." Aini replied.

Holding up a picture, everyone saw the Spirit's younger appearance, which showed her in a white and violet dress and low twin tails held by scrunchies with flower pins.

"Aw, she looks cute." Kotori admitted.

"What about if she has her Astral Dress, the Adonai Tzabaoth?" Mio asked.

Pausing for a moment, Aini tried to recall if she ever used it.

"I either don't recall seeing it, or it's part of my area of memories within my amnesia." She answered, shrugging slightly.

"Fair enough, so... is that all you can tell us?" Mio replied.

Aini paused for a moment, then remembered something.

"Well, this isn't related to her per say, but I do recall seeing the flag for where she lived. I recall that it was... red, white, and blue... with stripes?" She remembered.

"OK, let's see..." Maria said to herself.

Bringing up their internet feed, around two dozen flags fitting that search criteria appeared, making her frown a bit.

"That... doesn't much narrow much down. We're going to need more details." Marina replied.

She waited for a response, but...

*"SNORE!"*

Everyone turned to see Aini had fallen asleep, making them all face fault.

"Oh, come on!" Kotori complained.

"Let's calm down, I mean... how do we know she's still living in the same place? Japan's an island, but she could be on a continent that could have multiple countries, such as Europe." Origami mentioned.

That thought sunk into everyone's heads, and they all shook their heads in agreement.

"Well, we're nearing land, so let's get... whatever's an appropriate saying." Shiori replied.

Right at that moment?

*"BEEP! BEEP!"*

Seeing they had a message, Shiori answered it to see Saya looking at them... with a certain look on her face. Mio was quick to start sweating, having a good idea of _why_ she was calling.

"Uh... hey Saya, by any chance are you calling because-" Mio asked.

"I want the truth about Kurumi now, and if you don't give it to me? I'll teleport myself over there and-" Saya demanded, glaring at them.

"OK, we confess! She's turned evil and kidnapped Shido!" Yoshino admitted, falling on her knees.

Watching land on the floor, everyone just stared while Saya froze at the revelation, her eye twitching.

"I... I can't believe this. She's alive, and she became a Spirit, and yet... everything I heard him say is true." She said quietly, placing a hand on her forehead.

Tears flowed out of her eyes as she started to cry.

"I'm sorry Saya, it turns out that the night she vanished? Aini, the Avatar of Ain that we just found, told us she bumped into her after she was crying for some reason before falling downstairs. That's how she bonded with the Zafkiel Crystal, and then... ended up as she is now." Mio apologized.

Hearing that, Saya's tears suddenly stopped.

"Wait, back up a second. Did you just say she was _crying_ that day?" She inquired, her eyes shaking slightly.

"Uh... yeah, why do you ask?" Mio confirmed, tilting her head in confusion.

"Truth be told? There was one thing about the night I left I didn't tell you about, but that was because I didn't think it had any significance until now, not when the rest of her actions had been strange enough and I barely had any clues to follow." Saya confessed, clasping her hands.

Saya closed her eyes and remembered the day before Kurumi disappeared.

* * *

 _Walking across the halls, Saya could be seen crying a bit, wearing a black outfit like she was going to a funeral... which she was, although it wasn't an official one._

 _Her family owned an American shorthair cat named Chestnut, who had just been put down. He had been with her parents for years before she or Kurumi joined the family, and after reaching an old age, the time to end his suffering finally came._

 _"Chestnut..." She sniffled._

 _As she kept walking, a panicked breathing sound could be seen as she passed a room, getting her attention as she saw Kurumi releasing heavy breathes. If Saya didn't know any better? Kurumi was panting,_

 _"Kurumi, what's wrong? are you-" Saya asked._

 _"No... don't... please!" Kurumi begged._

 _Looking at her, she felt her eyes widen as she saw Kurumi trying to force the coffin Chestnut was in open. This immediately made her grab Kurumi and pull her away._

 _"Kurumi, stop that!" Saya screamed._

 _She struggled as Kurumi kept trying to reach out to something, unaware of the trance-like state her eyes were in._

 _"No... don't... please!" Kurumi repeated._

 _"Enough! Just wake... up!" Saya demanded._

 _Kurumi felt a powerful slap hit her face, making her stop as Saya began to cry again, hugging her tight._

 _"Just... just stop, OK?" She begged._

* * *

Ending her story, Origami began to shiver.

"No offense, but she sounded _really_ creepy just now..." She admitted, rubbing her arm.

"I thought so too, but... I also didn't see her shed any tears that day." Saya replied.

Mio felt something fishy from hearing that.

"She didn't cry then, yet she did when Aini found her later on? It doesn't add up at all. Actually, with what we just learned, her acting different from seeing the Tenguu Fire is just as unexplained." She realized, putting a finger to her mouth.

However, right as she said that, Shiori remembered something.

"Wait, I think we have a possible clue." She mentioned.

Rushing towards Mio's room, everyone looked at her in confusion before she came back with the folder of her mock wedding photo.

"W-Why did you bring that here!?" Mio screamed, blushing madly.

"It's not the picture that matters, look at this." Shiori clarified.

She pulled out the wish paper, getting everyone's attention as it didn't resemble any of theirs.

"I saw you had this, and wondered if you hid a wish, but... look whose name is on it." She revealed.

Turning it around, Mio saw Kurumi's name, making her grab it.

"A wish that she wrote? And it says... _I wish to see them one last time_." Mio read aloud, her face shaking.

Saya's eyes widened.

"Her acting strange after the fire, crying on the night she vanished, and acting strange over Chestnut dying... this must be related to that wish." She realized.

"And I think fire is the catalyst behind it." Mio assumed.

"Which means I might be able to scare her as our way of getting Shido back!" Kotori realized.

Saya paused for a bit.

"My Seirei Ability didn't manifest, or rather I simply didn't know how it worked until a year after Kurumi ran off. If fire is the reason, then I never had a chance to try showing her to confirm it." She admitted.

"If I remember, you told us she was an orphan... is it possible that-" Mio asked.

Saya closed her eyes.

"You're wondering if she may have had amnesia? I'm sorry, I can't confirm that... but it does seem likely after all I've heard." She answered.

Mio placed her other hand on top the wish paper.

"We'll find her... and when we do, we'll let you know, because I think only you can help her." Mio promised.

"Y-You mean it?" Saya replied, her eyes wide.

"Pinkie promise." Mio replied, holding hers out.

Saya smiled at that, sniffling a bit before she did the same, only answering with a simple nod.

"Good luck... to all of you." Saya said, feeling hopeful.

With that, the call ended, leaving a moment of silence behind.

'Shido, I know you aren't here with me right now, but... just for now? I beg of you... lend me your strength!' Mio thought.

She tightened her fist.

* * *

The scene opened to part of Okinawa, where Phantom's form could be seen as it floated to a rooftop, stopping as a familiar face entered their view.

"No more doubts about it now, what I'm looking for was never in Japan." Kurumi stated.

 **"Strange, wasn't I supposed to be meeting the original?"** Phantom inquired.

Kurumi turned around once she heard their voice, revealing this clone was wearing a dress of the same color scheme and had her hair completely untied, having roses above the spot her right ear was.

"Oh, hello there. I see you've swapped that shapely white noise for a rigid black one." She greeted, holding a hand up.

Kurumi gave Phantom a curtsy, making them chuckle.

 **"Sorry, but the deal was I'd meet your original, not a cheap knock off."** Phantom replied, beginning to turn.

Smirking in reply, Kurumi's eye shined.

 **"Zafkiel: Aleph."**

Before Phantom could fully react, a storm of bullets and clones swarmed around, completely blasting through their noise in an instant. The smoke left behind allowed Kurumi to see the true Phantom's form was clearly female.

 **"Well, that's embarrassing. You managed to catch a glimpse."** Phantom sighed.

The noise reappeared just before the smoke cleared, making Kurumi giggle.

"I'm not a normal clone of the real me. You could say I'm made from a particularly vital time, one of many elite clones." Kurumi stated.

 **"Hmm, very well. I guess that and your achievement in uncovering my gender makes you close enough to fulfill the quota."** She decided.

"So, what do you wish to humor me with?" Kurumi inquired.

 **"Quite simple, I need some... information."** Phantom answered.

Kurumi raised an eye at that.

 **"If you have any information or come by the information that's linked to what I need... I'll help you try to learn something your clones may not be able to find on their own."** She continued.

"Hmm... and what is it you're looking for?" Kurumi inquired.

 **"Have you seen anything like... this?"** Phantom answered.

She pulled something out, leaving Kurumi to blankly stare at what was in her hands before yawning, turning around.

"I think you simply wasted my time. You can find that by any volcano." She waved.

Phantom sighed before shaking her head.

 **"How disappointing, then I guess... you and I aren't exactly on good terms. I hope you'll pass that onto your main self so she's aware."** She stated.

Her figure vanished, leaving Kurumi by herself.

* * *

Yoshino held the Zadkiel Crystal, looking at it.

"Still trying to figure out what Aini meant by how you can bond with it?" Kotori asked, looking her direction.

"I am, because... it may help us to save Shido if I can figure it out." Yoshino confirmed.

Kotori looked at her with confusion.

"Remember my Seirei Ability? What if it were to evolve to a level that I could control it? What if... I could shut down Kurumi's abilities outright?" Yoshino asked.

Hearing that, Kotori's eyes widened.

"To shut down the entire time bubble and all of her clones in an instant... that could work. However, at the same time, that might be too big a gamble if we don't know how your powers will change." She replied.

"Yeah, but..." Yoshino replied.

"I get it, you want to help us, but you have to consider the damage those powers can do. What if that same thing hurts us? How would the powers of water or ice alter that power, and even more... what if becomes even harder to control?" Kotori mentioned.

She froze at that, looking at the Zadkiel Crystal once again.

'I don't want to hurt anyone, but... I want to protect my friends. There has to be a way to do both.' She thought.

Listening in from the outside, Kurumi smirked a bit as she got an idea of what they were doing.

'Now it makes sense. There's a potential Spirit among their ranks, so they're fleeing to hit the real me with a surprise when we next meet. Guess I should take care of that.' She decided.

 **"Zafkiel!"**

Her two guns formed, and then aimed at the ship.

*"BANG!"*

Inside the ship, Kotori and Yoshino suddenly fell over, catching both of them by surprise.

*"WAIL!"*

Hearing the alarm go off, the two quickly realized that was no accident.

"An attack... above the ocean!?" Kotori questioned.

"Oh no, did we get on the bad side of the country we're nearing and activate their defenses!?" Yoshino asked, shaking in panic.

Kotori grabbed her hand as they rushed to the bridge, where Maria and Marina were quickly typing as they opened a visual.

It was Kurumi they saw.

"She followed us!? I don't get it, why didn't the ship say we had neared her readings!?" Marina questioned.

Mio sweated a little, staring at the screen.

"This one's a clone, only the main Kurumi emits a reading." She stated.

"You sure?" Maria asked.

"Yeah... when Shido was captured, the clone that covered my mouth? It felt weaker than the real one. Because of this, they can sneak around without us noticing." Mio replied.

"It makes sense. If they did make a reading, then trying to find her readings would have been complicated long before we entered that time bubble." Shiori agreed.

Marina moved to part of her console and slid open a hidden panel.

"Get ready guys, we're about to activate a few things that hadn't been properly added in until after the Hecatoncheires was finished." She stated.

Maria realized what she was doing and slid over to a different hidden power.

"Here we go." She stated.

 **"Activating Jormungandr!"**

Maria pressed a button, causing the back of the Fraxinus to shift, with Kurumi being knocked backwards as the realizers on the ship's tail end stretched out like a snake.

"What the!?" Kurumi gasped.

 **"Activating Hraesvelgr!"**

Marina pressed the button on her side, which caused the tail to retract as the sides began shifting, making them take a more wing-like shape as the ship became faster.

"Whoa... what's this?" Origami asked.

"These are formations the Fraxinus uses, each of which we based off a creature that's linked to Yggdrasil aside from Ratatoskr." Maria revealed.

"Jormungandr, the serpent whose body encircles the world of Midgard. Along with Hraesvelgr, the eagle who sits at the end of the world, and makes the wind blow when he flaps. Fitting the former alters the tail end's movements, while we've sped up from the latter." Mio recalled.

Kurumi landed on the water's surface, smirking as she held out her Angel.

 **"Zafkiel: Dalet!"**

The bullet shot the Fraxinus, causing everyone to notice the ship stop... then suddenly move in reverse!

"What the!?" Marina exclaimed.

"She's rewinding time!" Shiori realized.

Kurumi aimed her other gun at herself.

 **"Zafkiel: Aleph!"**

She zoomed ahead before appearing before the group, surprising them.

"And that was a fast forward!" Tohka shouted.

"Quick, activate our weapons!" Shiori shouted.

Readying their ship's cannon, Kurumi began to laugh before the clock in her left eye shifted, moving from the 1 O'clock position to the 7 O'clock position.

'Huh?' Mio thought, paying attention to this.

 **"Zafkiel: Zayin!"**

The bullet hit the ship, freezing the outside as everyone within felt themselves aware, yet unable to move.

"Now we've been paused in time!" Miku panicked.

"I bet the clones themselves must be her recording time or something! Everything else we've seen looks like it fits a DVD command!" Kotori remarked.

Kurumi laughed before spinning both guns and firing, this time without calling a command. The Fraxinus quickly took heavy damage and began to fall.

"Mayday! Mayday!" Tohka panicked, running in circles.

Mio quickly gained a serious expression and glared at Kurumi.

 **"Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh!"**

Forming her Astral Dress, she flew outside, getting Kurumi's attention as the Fraxinus struggled to stay in the air long enough to make a proper landing.

"Well, look at that? The Spirit who became God is challenging me." She remarked.

"Get away from my friends!" Mio screamed.

Throwing her hands out, Kurumi fired at her, making her freeze as time stopped around her.

"Ooh, too bad for-" She giggled.

Mio quickly regained her movement and wrapped her streamers around Kurumi, making her eyes widen at how she simply ignored her powers.

"The DeNA's machines might give me some trouble, but you're an idiot to think the powers which came from me would do the same!" Mio replied.

'No way!' Kurumi thought.

Meanwhile, back in the ship, Shiori struggled to keep the ship moving.

"I we land in the water, we'll be sitting ducks! You all need to help Mio prevent the ship from taking any damage!" She shouted.

"Come on guys!" Rinne shouted.

Everyone flew outside, quickly manifesting their Astral Dresses and Angels as Kurumi noticed them, smirking as she motioned her pinkie and her clock eye moved to the 6.

 **"Zafkiel: Vav!"**

Shooting herself, her body vanished to Mio's surprise, only for her to suddenly be shot in the chest. Looking down, she saw herself bleeding slightly before she fell into the water.

"Mio!" Tohka shouted.

"What happened? It's like she teleported!" Miku asked.

"No, I think she altered her timeline." Origami replied.

As this was happening, Rinne noticed that Mio wasn't surfacing from the water, making her pale slightly.

"Hey guys? Can Mio swim?" She asked.

Everyone went pale at that comment, realizing they had never seen Mio in any body of water besides a shower or a rain puddle.

"Mio!" Tohka screamed.

Diving into the water, she swam after the sinking Mio's form.

"Quick, we need to swarm-" Kotori shouted.

 **"Zafkiel: Gimmel!"**

Kotori felt herself suddenly be transformed into a child version of herself, with her Astral Dress becoming loose as a result.

It wasn't just her, as everyone else was de-aged in the same manner. Tohka resurfaced with Mio in tow as she saw everyone.

"Huh?" She blinked, her eyes going white.

Kurumi laughed as she saw everyone's expressions, at least... until a huge explosion of flames filled the air.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Kotori screamed.

Kurumi suddenly sweated in reply.

"Oh, that's right... little kids are more likely to have meltdowns." She said aloud, realizing Kotori was a bad choice of a target.

 **"Zafkiel: Vav!"**

The reversal of their aging was undone, but once it had? Everyone was frozen in time.

"I... can't move!" Kotori stated.

Kurumi appeared before her, smirking as she readied Zafkiel to fire.

*"BANG!"*

Everyone was suddenly shot into the water, with Tohka's eyes wide as she left Mio on her throne, having moved her hand so she'd be able to heal her earlier wound.

'Her powers are on a completely different level than ours!' Tohka thought.

Kurumi laughed as the other Spirits were left defeated and floating in the water, forcing Tohka to go after all of them.

"Alright, time to end this." Kurumi stated, her eyes glowing.

Aiming her Angel at the Fraxinus, she unleashed a flurry of shots at it, making the ship explode in a few places as everyone inside fell over.

"Damage is reaching critical levels! All I can do is prevent the ship from exploding with us inside!" Maria shouted.

"We're going to hit the water!" Shiori realized, her face pale.

Marina suddenly saw the Fraxinus' screen change into distorted static, making her take a closer look as she noticed something appear on it.

"What's this?" She asked.

The static cleared up, showing what looked like a video saying to near the Jophiel Crystal.

"I don't get, but... everyone! Get by the Jophiel Crystal!" Marina ordered.

"Not sure what you're suggesting, but it isn't like we can do anything else." Shiori replied, pulling her hands away from the controls.

All four of the Ratatoskr members still inside rushed at the Jophiel Crystal, but once only Yoshino wasn't close enough?

*"BOOM!"*

The ship's insides exploded slightly, causing Yoshino to stumble before she made it to Jophiel's protective field shot up. She then fell out of the ship before anyone could reach out to her.

"Yoshino!" Shiori screamed.

Yoshino landed in the ocean and she began to sink at the same time the Fraxinus crashed into the water, all of its systems failing from the damage it received.

"Ooh, how unfortunate." Kurumi stated, giving a playful shrug.

"Damn you... damn you!" Kotori screamed.

She turned in surprise, seeing Kotori's flames undo all the damage she did.

"Regeneration? It seems that you're going to be a problem." Kurumi realized.

Kotori swung her Angel up.

 **"Camael: Megiddo!"**

Aiming her cannon at him, she fired her flames at him, with Kurumi quickly rushing out of the way as she readied her guns.

As this happened, Yoshino kept sinking, feeling her eyes close as the Zadkiel Crystal began sinking faster than her body did.

'Is... is this it?' She asked.

 _"No... please, this can't be all for nothing... no!"_

Her eyes widened.

* * *

 _Yoshino found herself in the ruins of a land that had been ravaged by battle, making her eyes go wide as she saw it._

 ** _"What... what is this place?" She asked._**

 _Walking across the area, she tried to make sense of what she was seeing._

 _*"SNAP!"*_

 _Looking down, she saw a magic wand underneath her. Gasping as she saw it, she picked it up, noticing its former wielder's name on the side._

 _"No, please... just hang on!" Ellen begged._

 ** _"Wait, that voice is..." Yoshino realized._**

 _Turning around, she saw the sight of a teenage Ellen, holding the form of a girl that looked at her with a smile... despite the hand covering what looked to be a deep cut too deep to be treated._

 _It was clear to Yoshino, that right now... she was seeing this girl's final moments._

 _"Artemisia... I beg of you, hang on!" Ellen asked, crying over her dying form._

 _Looking at her cousin, she smiled a bit more before reaching out to her face, rubbing her face with the hand not covering her wound._

 _"Don't cry Ellen, I have... no regrets." Artemisia reassured her._

 _"Stop it! We can still save you, just-" Ellen screamed, crying more._

 _"I promise you... that we'll meet again one day. Be strong for everyone, and... most of all, always... be strong for... me." She requested, feeling her eyes closed._

 _Her hands slumped, and Ellen's eyes shook before pressing her ear against Artemisia's chest._

 **[** **Seven Deadly Sins - Season 2: Prologue** **]**

 _She felt her eyes widen before pulling her head back, screaming and crying as the cold truth hit her._

 ** _"Ellen..." Yoshino cried, covering her mouth._**

 _As she stood there, various images flashed by, seeing more horrors the mages went through, until she reached the worst of it... Mio's memories._

 _The moment of her sacrifice._

* * *

Her eyes shot back open, and the Zadkiel Crystal's descent suddenly stopped as it froze in place.

'There's been too much pain in this world, but... even now? People are still fighting for that glimmer of hope! Mio herself was willing to sacrifice everything, and now... and now, I want to do the same!' Yoshino thought, a determined look on her face.

 ** _"So, is that your wish?"_**

Yoshino managed to get her body upright, and start swimming to the surface.

"It is!" She shouted.

Pushing herself with all her strength, despite already struggling for air, she kept moving.

'Because I'm so kind, seeing this pain without doing anything... I won't do it!' Yoshino thought.

 ** _"I believe you've finally heard what you needed... right Zadkiel?"_**

The Zadkiel Crystal immediately glowed before shooting towards Yoshino, getting her attention before it phased into her stomach. Her eyes immediately widened before she curled in place and began glowing.

Meanwhile, back on the surface? Everyone was floating across the water as Kurumi floated over a tired Kurumi.

"Now, since you're all sitting here? Let's see how all your power will help me." She decided, her clock eye moving.

This time, it went under the 11.

 **"Zafkiel: Yud Aleph-"**

Before she could fire, she suddenly felt herself getting struck by a geyser of water. The intense pulse immediately caused every Spirit to wake up as they felt it.

"This is...!" Mio gasped.

"What the hell!?" Kurumi demanded, glaring angrily at the water.

Suddenly, the blue glow from Yoshino's body began to illuminate it.

 **"El!"**

Hearing those words, everyone's eyes widened as a waterspout appeared, even though there wasn't a cloud for miles.

"What's going on here?" Kurumi asked.

"She... she did it!" Mio smiled.

Looking at Mio for a moment, Kurumi gasped as she remembered what she heard to initiate this attack.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

And then... it happened.

 **"Zadkiel!"**

With that one word, two glowing eyes were seen inside the waterspout before it exploded, revealing the Angel being hidden within.

It was a Mecha resembling a white rabbit... and it was huge!

"Holy shit!" Origami exclaimed, her eyes wide and whitened.

"This Angel... I think it's at least half the size of my Ain Soph, yet it clearly looks mobile by those feet!" Mio replied, similarly surprised.

Right as that was said, Yoshino finally ascended into view.

Now clad in her Astral Dress, everyone got a good look at it, seeing it took the form of a frilled bikini in the colors of blue and light blue, making no attempt to hide her curves or her cleavage. In the middle of her bikini top, a blue broach resembling a tear drop with silver snowflake frame could be seen, holding each half together.

Wrapped around her her bikini bottom was a sarong with a gradient and glow resembling the Aurora Borealis.

On her head was the sight of white flowers, positioned horizontally with the top of the petals facing in the direction behind her, the flowers themselves resembling bunny ears. Finally, topping it all off were sandals made of either ice or crystal.

"Damn it... I must have accidentally killed you when I shot down the ship." Kurumi realized, sweating slightly.

"Wrong, Zadkiel and I finally connected." Yoshino revealed.

"Wait, what did you just say?" Kurumi asked in disbelief.

Jumping back, Yoshino placed her hands into a black spot in her Angel's neck, making Zadkiel's eyes sharpen as it fully activated.

"It's not just a Mecha, it's a puppet!" Kotori realized.

Zadkiel roared before unleashing a huge storm of ice, the water shifted as everyone was tossed up before the water blow froze, including the Fraxinus. At the same time as this, Kurumi suddenly felt her magical power weaken from the ice.

"W-What's happening?" She questioned.

 **[** **High School DxD HERO: Hero** **]**

"I can't stand to see the world's pain anymore, and now... I'll wash it all away!" Yoshino promised.

Zadkiel rushed ahead, with Kurumi quickly taking flight.

"Sorry, but you're not going to-" She smirked.

Her words faded as she gasped, seeing Zadkiel run through the air and chase after her.

"Are you freaking kidding me!?" Kurumi exclaimed, turning around and aiming her guns.

 **"Zafkiel: Zayin!"**

Her Angel was shot, freezing it in place as Yoshino gasped, but quickly regained her confidence as she pulled her hands out.

 **"Zadkiel: Siryon!"**

Without any warning, Zadkiel glowed before it was swallowed into Yoshino, transforming her Angel into armor that resembled winter clothes.

"She's wearing her Angel!?" Kurumi shouted in surprise.

'Armor... made from an Angel.' Tohka thought, looking at her throne.

Yoshino soon clasped her hands together, shouting as she unleashed an icy beam, with Kurumi quickly being covered in it as her Angel began to freeze. Kurumi panicked as she threw her other gun away before it fully froze.

This was a good call, as once she managed to fly away, the other one was completely inoperable.

"Damn it!" She shouted, feeling herself sweat.

Realizing her chance to win had disappeared, Kurumi aimed the other gun at herself.

'If I can just get back to the real me, they won't have-' She thought, smiling.

 **"Sandalphon: Ratelibish!"**

Kurumi showed surprise as she turned around, seeing Tohka's throne shatter and merge with _her_ instead of Sandalphon, making it look like she was wearing a CR-Unit.

Rushing at her, Kurumi's eyes widened as Tohka slashed across her chest.

"No way... how could they? I managed to... and even then, they... were still too strong for just a mere clone... like myself." She mumbled, losing the light in her eyes.

The clone's body turned black before she dissolved into black mist.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

Panting a bit, Yoshino smiled before disengaging her Siryon mode, with Tohka weakly falling onto her back as her armor form broke apart.

"You won!" Kotori cheered.

Yoshino nearly fell over as Kotori tackle hugged her, though she simply turned and smiled at her.

"Just like Aini said, you managed to combine with Zadkiel without dying first." Mio smiled happily.

Shiori looked out of the hole Yoshino fell out of.

"Uh... hey, Yoshino? Think your Angel can help pull the ship towards land? We can't really fly right now." She asked, a sweat drop on her face.

Everyone looked, besides the tired Tohka, and Yoshino laughed slightly.

* * *

Back with the real Kurumi, she exited her shadow realm... only to suddenly show a surprised face.

"Something's wrong here." Kurumi realized.

"You're right, and I must apologize." She replied.

Turning to her left, she saw one of her elite clones, who wore a red and black Gothic Lolita outfit that resembled her Astral Dress and wore her hair in twin tails.

"I'm listening, what happened?" Kurumi asked.

With a look of frustration on her face, she replied.

"The clone who was keeping an eye on those other Spirits? She has been... slain in battle." The clone confessed.

Kurumi's eyes widened.

"Even after I took a majority of their powers through my City of Devouring Time? They should have only had a fraction left to use, enough for a clone to defeat." She said to herself.

Lightly chewing her thumbnail, she looked at her one clone.

"What happened?" She inquired.

"I'm afraid I don't know... there was no sign of them anywhere from Kyoto to this location. I can only assume the clone fought them... after seeing them go somewhere away from you." The clone answered.

"They didn't go after me to rescue Shido? That doesn't make sense, and I know they wouldn't abandon him." Kurumi questioned.

Thinking for a moment, Kurumi's eyes widened.

"Unless... are they trying to find help because they don't think they can beat me right now?" She realized.

"Huh?" The clone blinked.

"No choice, I've already learned that Japan is a bust, so I guess we'll be doing the same as them. Leaving this country." Kurumi decided.

Placing two fingers near her mouth, she gave a strange whistle releasing shadowy ripples.

Every clone suddenly stopped what they were doing, realizing they were all being summoned.

* * *

Yoshino was seen controlling Zadkiel through a string, her feet frozen to the Fraxinus as she used the string and her Angel to pull it across the water.

Meanwhile, inside the ship, Maria and Marina managed to repair enough to get the inner systems running again.

"Well, flying is still no go, but we can at least contact our friends and use any non-combative systems." Maria stated, wiping her forehead.

"First thing we should probably do? Look at why Kurumi was so powerful." Marina decided.

Shiori nodded and began looking over all the data she could, with Kotori using her Crystal Caller.

"Hey, Yoshino?" She asked.

Hearing her voice, Yoshino looked at her own Crystal Caller.

"Yeah?" She replied.

"Explain how you managed to get your powers. It would help when we find Jophiel's wielder, and we're kind of curious about how you did it." Kotori inquired.

"How should I put this? I began sinking into the water, and worried this was my end, and as I did... I saw this image of Ellen and someone she knew as they died, along with other sad memories. It made me want to stop such events from happening again. That's when I heard a voice that sounded like Mio's, and Zadkiel flew into me." She replied.

Mio hummed a bit, trying to theorize how it happened... then it hit her.

"Life! At that moment, you must have had a powerful wish to live! That must be why the crystals bond with someone if they die! After all, the Sephirot is also called..." She realized.

"The Tree of Life!" Everyone stated.

Mio took out Kurumi's wish paper.

"And I think the way to reach Kurumi is tied to this. If there wasn't any good inside of her, the Zafkiel Crystal would have never bonded to her. We just need to find it and help her remember that part of her." She smiled, feeling new confidence in herself.

Origami held out her hands, materializing some light as she did.

"Hey, is it just me, or did it seem like we weren't able to do anything during that battle? Well, aside from Mio and Kotori slightly, Tohka for that one attack, and Yoshino?" She asked.

"I noticed that too, so I've been looking over the data. Haven't gotten anything yet, but-" Shiori replied.

"Oh, that? Already got results." Marina replied.

Shiori's face went flat, looking at her in surprise.

"Now, for the answer itself? Remember how we once thought Mio time traveled and left tachyons behind? My sister and I looked into that, and it didn't take long to find them as the structural basis for that time bubble of Kurumi's." Marina explained.

"While we were all inside? It seems that the time bubble was actively eating the Reiryoku to empower itself, which turned them into tachyon particles. I'd even theorize you all do a similar kind of conversion with your powers, but that's not the point. The important thing you all need to know? This time bubble used that same process to sap away most of your powers until you had 10% at best." Maria revealed.

That made everyone's eyes widen.

"No wonder we got beat thrashed so easily, I doubt any of us knew how tired we were while Kurumi was fresh." Miku realized.

"It would explain why you guys never attacked. Kotori's powers fluctuate the most from her anger, so I think she likely regained some of that lost power faster, letting her last longer. Mio on the other hand can somewhat resist your powers due to being their origin, and therefore had more than 10% left. Tohka... well, her new technique, but I can't really explain Yoshino's aside from her not being a Spirit at the time?" Shiori replied.

"Well, actually..." Maria replied.

Everyone looked at her as she turned around.

"Based on what me and Marina can tell? I think it was actually the evolution of Yoshino's Seirei Ability that did it." She revealed.

"My ability?" Yoshino asked.

"That's right. Because Kurumi's power is linked to time, my guess is the effects caused by it are hers to dispel or maybe _complete_ in this circumstance. All of you were weak due to being in it, so when Yoshino weakened Kurumi using her Seirei Ability... it also negated said effect. That's why all of you are already back at full strength." Marina said, a confident smirk on her face.

Hearing that, everyone's eyes widened before they turned to look at Yoshino, who blushed at the unwanted attention.

"Oh, and before you all think we can easily beat her? That clone only had half of Kurumi's full power." Maria mentioned.

That widened a few eyes.

"I can believe that. Kotori was able to cut off that clone's arm, like her Astral Dress was just cosmetic in comparison to ours. Guess the clones only keep her powers and an echo of her strength." Mio realized.

Right as she finished saying that, Mio noticed something out in the distance, and gasped before looking at the others.

"Land ho!" She announced.

All of them smiled as they saw the land before them, and once they got a little closer? A landmark appeared that told them _exactly_ what country it was.

A giant woman made of green copper.

"The Statue of Liberty? I don't believe it, then... this is America! We're in the USA!" Origami gasped.

"Whoa... there were theories the land shifted, and our speed reaching here proves it." Maria remarked.

"Guess we've helped everyone figure out-" Tohka replied.

Suddenly, she felt herself freeze in place, making everyone look at her... right as she suddenly fainted out of nowhere. Her eyes completely one color as if in a trance, but this was no trance she was in.

"Tohka? Tohka!" Mio shouted worriedly.

She shook her, right as Tohka's eyes closed.

While everyone panicked over what happened to their friend, they failed to notice the sight of a DeNA Harpy flying nearby, registered their arrival in America on its optical camera.

"So, they've made it here? What a delightful surprise." The DeNA leader smirked.

The sound of his laughter quickly filled the air.

Meanwhile, somewhere within the bustling metropolis of New York City, a girl with long silky hair and a figure like a supermodel suddenly stopped and turned her head. While she didn't know why... there was a dark feeling in the air she felt through her veins.

* * *

 **Just when things looked to be getting better? Nope, we have the tragedy of Tohka suddenly collapsing without warning to further complicate things, and at the worst time since our cast has finally reached land... and has no idea how that'll effect things. Either way, they've made it to America, which is now much closer to Japan than it was 30 years ago.**

 **They're in somewhat uncharted territory now, and they have a few problems besides Tohka's to deal with, like how the Fraxinus is unable to fly due to the damage it took from Kurumi's assault. Not only that, but despite Kurumi's clone couldn't return to give her the new information? Kurumi is still on her way, and she's called all of her clones back, meaning Ratatoskr could face an army in the worst-case scenario.**

 **Though that's nothing compared to what Kurumi did in the opening scene. Whatever she's doing, it doesn't look good, and all I can say is part of it sets her up for joining the harem later, since she's gotten a little chemistry with Shido... even if it's only out of convenience or one-sided (won't say which it is) as of now. Mio better hope she rescues Shido soon, because rescuing him may have gained a time limit.**

 **Well, I can finally reveal the first truth I've had to hide from you all, which are the Spirits can make their debuts at _any_ time, not once per arc. Not only that, but the Spirits with stronger powers aren't getting any weaker. Kurumi's clones can't user her Angel in canon, but they can here, and that makes her a lot more powerful as a result.**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	18. Land of Liberty

**Last chapter was a big one. Yoshino finally unlocking her powers, Kurumi doing... something with Shido, the Fraxinus being completely busted to an almost destroyed state, and the group arriving in America to locate the next Spirit. Unfortunately, Tohka suddenly fainted, and Kurumi is on her way with her army of clones having been called to arms.**

 **Anyways, our group has made it to New York City, though the question is if their arrival will be taken in a friendly manner or a hostile one. Whatever the people of the USA think of them... it seems the DeNA already has some eyes planted around, probably fitting how Phantom seemed to think Kurumi had info she was looking for. Hope the members of Ratatoskr can fix their ship soon, otherwise they'll have more than Kurumi to deal with.**

 **And speaking of Kurumi, she seems to have her own plans for something, since Phantom's words from last chapter imply she isn't backed by or aiding the members of DeNA in any manner. She's truly the wild card right now. However, the biggest mystery is that she seems to be searching for something that's somewhere outside of Japan, with no hints if kidnapping Shido had any kind of connection to it or an answer that's related to it.**

 **In other news... it seems Ren Dystopia got pushed back to next year, which is a bit sad for this story, as without the game giving us some insight to Ren's personality? Some planned scenes I had for her to cameo in before our heroes found her have to be pushed back or axed depending on when I planned for them. Luckily, that's all the delay did.**

 **One last thing I'll mention before we begin? I decided to have the Demon Kings in this story simply be called Demons, while also making a retcon and giving Mio her original code name back, with "Sephirot" being Shido's new code name. The main reason for doing this is because I have something else in mind for using Dea in the story, while the other bit... can't say anything there, so you'll just have to wait for the story to progress a little.**

 **Well, we're not getting anywhere with me just talking, so let the chapter begin!**

* * *

 **[Chapter 18 - Land of Liberty]**

Feeling her eyes shake as she groaned, Tohka woke up to see herself in the medical room, with Mio noticing her waking up as she smiled at her.

"Oh, thank goodness you woke up." She smiled.

"Uh... what happened to me? I remember seeing land, and then... and then we all-" Tohka asked.

She held her throbbing forehead.

"Try not to push yourself, whatever made you suddenly collapse like that likely left a big shock on your body that you're still recovering from." Mio warned, slowly pushing her back onto the medical bed.

Tohka sighed and nodded her head, letting herself be laid down as Kotori looked at her.

"Do you have any ideas about why this happened to her? Like... maybe that last attack either did something to her, or let Kurumi do something that had a negative impact?" Miku asked.

"Honestly? I have no idea. At the very least, she's completely healthy from a medical standpoint, but I can't verify if it was related to her being a Spirit either since the rest of us are fine. Until Maria and Marina get back with their results, all we can do is guess and watch over her." Mio answered.

Right on cue, the Arusu twins walked into the room with a chart in Maria's hands.

"Oh, speak of the devils. Did you find anything?" She inquired.

"We did, but all of you might want to take a look at it, as we think we've found something that concerns us as a whole." Maria answered.

Tapping a few settings, her Crystal Caller projected a digital recreation of the battle against the wall. Specifically, it was the moment of the battle where Tohka, in her new Ratelibish armor, went for the strike that destroyed the clone.

"Pay attention to this moment right here." Marina stated, pointing at Kurumi's clone.

Tohka's strike was shown, and then the screen shifted as it showed all of the dark powers of the clone fade out... only for some of it to flow through Sandalphon's blade and go into the Sandalphon Crystal through her body.

This confused everyone, with even Mio herself raising an eye over what this was about.

"I... absorbed some of her powers?" Tohka asked in confusion.

"Not exactly. From what we can tell, it seems more like some of the clone's powers went inside of you like a marker of sorts, but as we've seen with how long Shido can fuse either of us? No one can wield the power of two Sephira Crystals indefinitely. As a result, once enough time passed without it leaving..." Marina explained.

"Her body went into shock." Mio realized.

"Since Tohka's awake now, that means it should be gone, right?" Origami said hopefully.

"Eh... yes and no." Maria replied.

That made Origami blink in confusion.

"See, because we're assuming it's some kind of marker, that implies Kurumi's using it like an organic tracking device. While it may sound like we removed it, the truth is that it seems to have disappeared without a trace." Marina clarified.

"Our theory? Just like how Kurumi managed to capture Shido, she moved that marker onto a different axis of time." Maria explained.

"But... how would that work? If she's affecting time, shouldn't it not exist, or be countered by some kind of time travel logic?" Kotori asked.

Maria sighed at that.

"With how most people see that logic, I can't blame you making a response like that, and I'd like such a claim to be true. However, there are things my sister and I have learned that show while it is a possible result... it isn't a definite one." She answered.

This caught the attention of everyone in the room.

"I guess the best way to explain this? Among everyone here, who's familiar with the concept of the Schrodinger's Cat?" Marina inquired.

"Wait... what? How is someone's cat important to this?" Tohka asked, scratching her head in confusion.

Mio giggled at that.

"It's not an actual cat, at least not in the way you're thinking of it. Schrodinger's Cat is a thought experiment that was used to show potential problems in Quantum Physics and a theory known as the Copenhagen interpretation. See, a cat is placed in a box with poison fatal to felines, which a hammer will break if it senses radioactive decay." She clarified.

"W-What? Why would anyone do that to a poor defenseless cat!?" Tohka questioned.

"Calm down, I never said they actually kill the cat. However, it was meant to point out how while the box was closed, the cat is considered both alive and dead simultaneously. The problem there is once you open the box..." Mio continued.

"It had to be one or the other?" Tohka guessed.

"Bingo. See, the problem with the Copenhagen interpretation is that it believes a certain result can become inevitable, such as the fate of the cat. There's been many more theories on both ends since then, though a lot of progress was made due to the questions Schrodinger's Cat pointed out as being... absurd." Maria answered.

She rubbed her head, chuckling a bit.

"At least, with how we're trying to explain it, that's the general idea. Some theories like those are kind of wordy and hard to explain in one go without messing up a detail or two, but you should at least get the idea now." She admitted.

"Yeah, I think I do. That would mean this marker is like that?" Tohka inquired with a nod.

"Right you are Tohka, and we brought up Schrodinger's Cat because there's actually a more recent theory that you could call the Schrodinger's Cat of time travel physics." Marina confirmed.

Using her Crystal Caller, she brought up the image of a Monarch Butterfly.

"As most of you might know, most theories about time travel follow the obvious change that either results in what can either be a stable time loop where the time travel is a part of history, a paradox which can be... many things I'd rather not go into, or the butterfly effect that often leads to a changed future. What's something you can notice from these three forms of time alteration?" She inquired.

"You mentioned _obvious change_ before saying these, so... I'm assuming this idea is related to a discreet or unseen change?" Origami guessed.

"Right you are Origami, this theory is based on the idea how time could be altered without notice or a world changing effect by having it be something barely noticeable, or by making the reaction to what was changed barely different if at all. It's called the Altered Variable theory." Marina confirmed.

She typed into her Crystal Caller, turning the orange on the hologram of the Monarch Butterfly's wings white, prompting Tohka to gasp and point out it.

"That's a... uh, I forgot the name, but it was some kind of Zebra Butterfly!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry Tohka, but this is still a Monarch Butterfly you're looking at. This one is simply an specimen that was born with albinism." Maria giggled.

"Yet it's a good example of how the theory works. To someone unfamiliar with butterfly species known for their black and white coloring, they might not assume it's a Monarch, but it isn't too strange to see a butterfly with such colors... unlike this." Marina said, right before typing again.

Everyone suddenly jumped as the wings turned orange, but in exchange, the butterfly's eyes became more like a lizard. Such a trait was impossible for a Monarch to have, at least by natural means.

"See how you all reacted to that? Imagine that jumping you did bumped someone a certain way, and that led to the butterfly effect? You would make a noticeable change in time. In comparison, the albino monarch did little to none, but if we consider it did _little_ in this case..." She continued.

"I can see where this is going." Rinne realized.

Each twin's Crystal Colors showed a white line with a branching red line representing an altered timeline. Maria's was rigid and angular to represent a huge change, whereas Marina's seemed more like a tree branch with how much each line was fully touching.

"A change so little could hide in plain sight until it's too late to notice, or delayed so the timeline is almost completely identical to its original state. The point is we wouldn't be able to prove it... yet we couldn't disprove it either." Maria explained.

"I get what you're saying. While it isn't exactly the same, the fact this marker even exists is what matters most despite we can't find and/or see its influence." Mio realized.

"Exactly." Maria confirmed, nodding her head.

Tohka felt herself sweating a bit, not liking where these implications were heading.

"You said it was like an organic tracker, so... what does that mean for us?" Miku inquired.

"Hate to say it, but since it may be too dangerous to send Tohka back to Tenguu City at the risk of Kurumi attacking her with odds against our favor, it's better that we let her keep following us around... for now." Mio sighed.

"Basically, we have to keep baiting Kurumi to us, and just when we finally managed to escape her radar." Origami realized, looking down slightly.

Mio put a hand on her back.

"Don't feel too down about that. Remember, we can also see when she's nearing us via our Crystal Callers, and it would be more of a red flag if the date and time change on us again. In a sense, this tracker means she's sacrificed her own ability to hide from us." She smiled.

"So, this can work to our advantage as well?" Tohka asked hopefully.

"It will. As such, the fact we found America when we did is a good thing, as if Kurumi were to hit us again while we were still drifting across the ocean water..." Mio replied.

No one finished that thought, and for good reason.

Though even if they had attempted to, their thoughts would have come to an abrupt end as they heard a loud whistle come from the main room, courtesy of Shiori.

"Guys, get in here! Yoshino and I may have just saw us run into a pretty big problem!" She warned.

Everyone immediately rushed in almost immediately as they saw Shiori connecting her Crystal Caller to parts of the Fraxinus' damaged systems, trying to make some kind of makeshift repair to their visual screen.

"What's up?" Mio asked.

"Apparently some kind of machine is approaching us from where Yoshino is, though that's all we can tell without the ship visuals zooming in on what's approaching us. If this is some kind of DeNA automaton that Kurumi or something else guided our way..." Shiori explained.

"Crap." Kotori grunted, feeling a sweat drop on her face.

Pressing a button, the visuals managed to restore itself slightly and focus on the slowly growing speck they could see in path of the Statue of Liberty. It was some kind of red sphere the size of one's head, with a mechanical pupil designed like a hexagon and the cover of a camera lens.

"That doesn't look like anything from the DeNA, it's too... simplistic." Mio remarked.

"Then it has to be some kind of American device. Probably for surveillance or defense, maybe even a form of communication." Maria realized.

"If it's the latter, then we should be careful of how we reply, otherwise they may see us as a threat despite our ship's damage." Marina warned.

The sphere stopped as its pupil began flashing.

 _"You are an unregistered party within our borders, state your business or we will assume you are a hostile force and eliminate you without mercy."_ A female voice stated.

Kotori's eyes briefly widened after hearing the machine's voice, finding it incredibly familiar.

"Uh, you see... we're-" Shiori replied, with obvious nervousness in her voice.

"Mom, is that you!?" Kotori exclaimed.

Everyone suddenly looked at her in surprise, right before they heard the sound of something falling from the sphere's audio.

 _"Wait, Kotori? You're inside this ship!?"_ Haruko questioned, recognizing her daughter's voice.

"I am, but hold on... why are you here in New York? I thought you were doing work in Okinawa?" She confirmed, raising an eye in confusion.

 _"That's... easier to explain in person, and since you obviously aren't a threat, let me guide you to the docks."_ Haruko explained.

The sphere turned around, blinking like a guide light before flying in one direction.

"Yoshino, follow that sphere. I think we're being shown where to legally park ourselves." Shiori ordered.

"OK." She replied.

Zadkiel resumed its towing as they followed the device's path.

* * *

Inside one of the many secretive locations owned by the DeNA, the sight of Alice could be seen, having fully repaired and recovered from her battle against Mio and the initial members of Ratatoskr, as she stood before a screen showing the silhouette of an unknown DeNA member.

"Ah, there you are Minerva, or should I be calling you Alice since your identity was revealed to your former employer?" They replied, revealing a male voice.

"Yes, there is little reason for my prior alias besides it being proof of my command over the automatons of the Greek series." Alice confirmed in her usual tone.

The unknown man nodded.

"Well, I thought you might like to know that those same DEM brats are in America right now. Our leader's asking me to call some of our wizards, and I thought you'd like a chance at revenge, so are you interested?" He inquired.

She closed her eyes and materialized the repaired Mordred, drawing Clarent into view of the screen.

"Gladly, though keep in mind I only consider Witch as an extra. She's not my priority unless she's the only one within our radar or the others have already been dealt with. I hope such conditions aren't a problem?" She answered.

"I can allow it, just make sure you fight Witch as equally if they all end up in the same area." The man agreed.

Alice nodded her head in agreement.

"Then I'll begin heading over now. If I arrive late, then I'll explain why once I make it to American ground, just in something keeps me from making it in time." She stated.

"Then I'll begin my preparations over here, Longinus out." He replied.

Alice watched the screen turn off, prompting her to zoom out of the building as she quickly began to fly across the ocean.

"It won't be long before I can finally even the score with-" She said to herself.

 **"Uriel!"**

She suddenly swung Clarent and deflected a surge of lightning, making her skid across the ocean's surface as she turned her head, seeing a familiar face near her as the clouds overhead turned black and sparked with electricity.

The lack of the sun caused the individual she was looking at to be shadowed from view, other than the spear she held in her hand.

"Always the somewhat expected surprise, aren't you... Ronin?" Alice stated.

It didn't take long for a flash of lightning to mark the beginning of their duel.

* * *

Back in New York, the Fraxinus' damaged form finished its game of follow the leader with the red sphere, reaching a docking bay as the various natives looked at the ship in confusion and/or awe.

Then again, maybe it was seeing Zadkiel towing the ship that was the real odd sight they were looking at.

Either way, their stares didn't last long as Yoshino hopped onto the ship, with Zadkiel disappearing and her Astral Dress reverting to her previous attire as the others joined her by climbing out of the hole closest to her.

"Does anyone know who those people are? I've never seen them before."

"What was that robot rabbit thing?"

"It looks like they got stranded, like that ship from 2 months ago."

Once Shiori and the Arusu twins got out, all of them winced at the damage to the ship, looking at each other with uncertainty.

"Can we even repair this?" Maria asked.

"I'm not sure. At best, we'll be able to, but at worst... we might have to salvage what's intact and then take it apart to rebuild most of it with new parts." Shiori answered.

"The ship did get made in a thin state due to lacking a vital part the developmental team hadn't finished, so that would have been done eventually. That means rebuilding a few areas shouldn't be too hard." Marina recalled.

"Really? If that's the case, then the repairs don't seem like they'll be too hard if we have to go that far." Shiori remarked.

Kotori groaned at their engineering talk.

"Something, anything... please distract me from this incoming headache." She begged.

"Kotori!" A male voice called out.

She felt her eyes widen as she turned to see her mother waving at her, with her father by her side. The moment she saw them, a big smile hit her face as she jumped down, then immediately rushed towards them.

"Mom! Dad!" She exclaimed.

They wrapped their arms around Kotori for a hug, causing many of their onlookers to go _Aww~_ at the sight.

"I didn't think we'd see you again for a long time, if ever. Looks like fate had other plans." Tatsuo smiled.

"Though that does bring up the question... why were you even on a ship, heading to America no less? And why is it so broken down?" Haruko asked, all at once.

Kotori chuckled a bit.

"Well... before I answer any of those, an old friend would like to say hi." She replied.

She turned to the ship, motioning to Mio, causing her parents' eyes widen when they saw her face.

"Haruko! Tatsuo!" She exclaimed.

Jumping down from the ship, Mio threw herself in the family's hug, completely oblivious to the shock of her old friends.

"It's been so long! Even better, this meeting means I've finally reunited with all my old friends!" She said, a happy smile on her face.

"Mio!? But we saw you... how is this..." Tatsuo stammered.

"You... you were alive... all this time?" Haruko said breathlessly.

Mio broke off the hug at that moment, scratching her cheek and giving an awkward giggle as she looked away from them, leaving Kotori to cough and get their attention.

"We might need to sit down somewhere, because this is going to be a long story." She suggested.

"Take us to a hot dog joint!" Maria begged, raising her right hand excitedly.

Everyone looked at her with an odd look, making her blink at their staring, though only out of confusion rather than feeling awkward.

"What? Hot dogs are my favorite food, and I want a jumbo frank." She asked.

Marina sighed and rolled her eyes in response.

* * *

In another part of the city, a girl with her hair hidden under a black fedora and her eyes obscured by sunglasses, gave an annoyed scowl as she walked in front of a middle-aged man. Her attire consisted of a black coat, black jeans, and black boots with small heels.

The man following her was a brunette with short hair and a small beard connected to his sideburns and mustache, holding a clipboard in his hands.

"After that, we'll be going to the theater for a promotion and-" He stated.

"No, enough!" She screamed.

The girl got up close to his face and pointed her finger between his eyes, which didn't seem to faze him.

"I'm a supermodel, so the kind of stuff I should be doing work for needs to be important! The theater we have doesn't do anything big for anyone that isn't one of its actors! In fact, half the stuff you sign me for seems to be done by lazy finger pointing!" She screamed.

"Don't insult me, I'm only looking out for your-" He retorted.

"I'm only looking out for your best interests! Blah, blah, blah! Don't give me that excuse! You want some proof? You don't even have the big advertisement appointment I made on that list! You can think how bad a failure you are while you go visit a job office... because you're fired!" She shouted.

The man growled at her.

"You think you can just do this me and walk away? I don't think so!" He roared.

"Just watch me!" She smirked.

With those words, she began running off as he chased her, growling as it looked like his speed would win once he managed to catch up to her. As the gap between them grew smaller, she made a turn that he followed...

Only for her to be gone as he hit a dead end, making him stare in surprise before he rubbed his eyes in confusion.

"How did she... this should defy the laws of physics, shouldn't it!?" He questioned.

As he continued his confused yelling, he failed to notice a single green feather flying into the air, landing on top of a building facing his backside. That feather soon glowed as it transformed into a familiar girl with long green hair.

"I've been waiting to do that for weeks now, and it was just as satisfying as I thought." She smiled.

Placing her fedora back on her head, she changed her hair into a light brunette tone and her outfit into a more tomboyish sporty one, with yellow and blue as the theme colors, while her boots became white sneakers and her fedora became a cap.

Walking away before jumping back to solid ground, she opened her phone as she called a friend who she was sure would do a better job as her manager.

* * *

After a long discussion at a restaurant, where Maria was eating a jumbo frank, Kotori's parents were more than shocked at what they heard.

"I... I honestly don't know what to say. Then again, this explains how our daughter was able to become a Spirit, something that never made sense to us before now." Haruko stated, her emotional state feeling all frazzled.

"If it makes you feel any better, there was just as much shock for me to learn 30 years had gone by. I didn't even realize at first that Shido and Shinji were different people due to how similar they look." Mio replied, blushing slightly.

That finally caught Tatsuo's attention.

"Speaking of which... where is Shido? If Shiori and you are here, it would make sense that-" He inquired.

He immediately stopped as he saw Mio tearing up a bit, prompting Kotori to sigh as she spoke for her.

"You asked what happened to our ship, right? Well... we've learned the rest of the Spirits are all currently scattered across the world besides one who hasn't bonded to their Sephira Crystal just yet. We eventually ran into a Spirit named Kurumi, who captured Shido, took him somewhere, then ambushed us on our way here. All the damage on the ship was that one Spirit's doing." Kotori explained.

"Oh... I'm sorry for bringing that up." Tatsuo apologized.

"It's hard on more than just her. See..." Kotori continued.

She briefly paused to blush.

"While Mio is his main girlfriend? I myself, along with Tohka, Origami, and Miku at the moment are all in a relationship with him." She revealed.

Haruko squeed slightly before hugging her daughter.

"It finally happened! Congratulations! Please, tell me you've had your first kiss already?" Haruko cheered, before looking at Kotori with an expectant look.

"Mom!" Kotori screamed in embarrassment.

Shiori snickered before continuing for embarrassed redhead's explanation.

"Anyways, we managed to get out of the battle and tow ourselves using Yoshino's Angel, and now we need to repair our ship not only to resume finding the other Spirits and save my brother... but because Kurumi is currently able to track us wherever we go." She explained, emphasizing the last part by showing a fierce look in her eyes.

That made Kotori's parents sweat as nervous looks appeared on their faces.

"Well, we might be able to help somewhat, but your ship seems a bit out of our league of work. However, we do know someone that might be able to help." Haruko replied.

"Really? Who is it?" Mio asked.

"The current President of the USA, who was the main reason we found any work without any trouble." Tatsuo revealed.

"That... sounds a little convenient." Rinne said, feeling suspicious.

"I know it might sound that way, but it'll make more sense once you meet her." Haruko replied.

Mio thought for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders.

"We don't really have many other options, and she might be able to help us find the owner of the Haniel Crystal, so let's give her a chance." She stated.

"Good point, Kurumi could show up at any time." Tohka agreed, looking at her Crystal Caller.

Everyone stood up to leave, but before they could?

"Wait! Before we go, there's one last thing to do." Maria shouted, holding a hand out.

"3, 2, 1..." Marina sighed, counting with her fingers.

Maria turned to the nearest waited.

"I'd like a takeout order of three more jumbo franks with the same toppings!" She requested.

Tohka giggled at that.

* * *

Back on the unknown part of the ocean, the sight of Alice and the Spirit known by her as Ronin continued, with the thundering clouds above them still leaving her appearance a mystery to anyone unlucky enough to get caught in the battlefield.

Ronin threw Uriel forward, causing the lance to fire off a large bolt of lightning, with its turns moving like the zig zag shape usually used when drawing them.

 **"Clarent: Cannon Mode!"**

Swinging her sword forward, it altered itself at the tip to create a chamber for energy to start charging inside. Once enough gathered, Clarent unleashed the power as a thick laser, though Ronin didn't move and simply held her Angel in front of her.

 **"Uriel: Brynhildr!"**

The tip of the spear glowed as the laser struck it, only to be absorbed and make focused lightning jut out as a sharpened extension to its blade.

"You've created a counter against non-physical attacks?" Alice noticed, half surprised and half impressed.

"Just because an attack has range doesn't mean it should be used from such a distance, especially if you can't guarantee the end result will work in your favor." Ronin warned, reeling her Angel back.

Uriel was thrust into the air, but she didn't let it go, making both of them disappear somewhere in the stormy clouds above.

Alice's eyes roamed around, trying to detect where Ronin would attack her from.

 **"Uriel: Gungnir!"**

A huge surge sounded off as lightning flowed through every cloud, making Alice's eyes widen as her search for Ronin's location of attack became harder, and ultimately... it took only a moment for Ronin to render it meaningless.

With lightning speed, she zoomed at Alice, causing lightning to surge through her body. The cyborg wizard's eyes widened as her cybernetics filled her vision with multiple error messages before it started to blur.

"How did you... get this powerful, so quickly... Ronin?" Alice questioned.

"That is not my name." She answered.

Pulling her spear away, Alice's uninjured body fell into the ocean, with the remains of Clarent and Mordred sinking as she was swept by the ocean current. As she watched, the sky flashed with lightning that revealed her appearance.

She was a girl who looked to be around the age of a high school Senior that had long hair of a light brunette color, light skin, and deep pink eyes.

Fitting her DeNA code name, her Astral Dress looked like a futuristic white and neon blue armor resembling a ninja suit with attachments resembling a Samurai's leg armor on her on her hips and wing-like crests above her semi-braid.

"My name is Mayuri Rakurai, the Lightning Spirit." She announced, closing her eyes.

She disappeared as another flash went off, disappearing as the stormy clouds remained. Only moments after she left did a familiar black silhouette rise from the water with Alice in hand.

 **"So, she's the reincarnation of _that_ wizard... what an interesting development."** Phantom said, rubbing her chin in slight amusement.

Turning her head towards Alice, she felt an idea form.

* * *

As they rose up the elevator of a large building, the members of Fraxinus took a good look at the city of New York and the areas extending from it, making a few of them look at in in awe.

"Wow, and to think I already thought the new White House being this building was amazing by itself." Origami remarked.

"Speaking of which, why did they build it here? What happened to Maryland and DC?" Mio asked, sounding a little worried.

Haruko sighed before answering.

"Like you've already saw with most of Japan, the Day of the Black Earth rendered it a ghost town, but at an even worse level since all the structures caused a huge rising of horrible conditions that made it too hard for even most animals to live in unless they were already used to desert terrains." She revealed.

"How awful... especially since there was all that history there." Mio replied sadly.

"Is the state of America worse or better than Japan?" Miku inquired.

"Not sure how to properly compare it since America's a much larger country than Japan is, but from what we've learned since coming here... only 12 of the 50 states, though it may be just 48 due to where Hawaii and Alaska are, if Hawaii even survived, have people living in them." Tatsuo answered.

That made everyone pale a little.

"Most of those states are the ones near New York, and we only confirmed the other three because they managed to send out a message, since traveling beyond the northeastern region is still too dangerous for us to directly confirm it." Haruko added.

"OK, who wants to completely drop this subject?" Miku asked in a begging tone, raising her shaking hand.

"Me!" The rest of Ratatoskr shouted, raising their hands up.

At that moment, luck granted them a stop at the top of the tower, where the sight of an office was seen. This office area showed the sign of someone working on something, with her backside hiding what it was.

"Incredible, this enhancement has increased the processing speed by a hundredfold. To think how much Humanity could benefit if this technology wasn't solely used by them for warfare and global conquest." The President said to herself.

Clearing her throat, Haruko got her attention as she let out a surprised gasp, turning around to look at everyone.

This is when everyone got a good look at her, revealing she was a woman in her early to mid-30's, having long and messy hair of a similar color to Westcott's which was tied in a ponytail from the shoulders down and similar colored eyes. Her attire was a red T-shirt shirt revealing a gifted chest, a lab coat, blue shorts, pale yellow socks, and pink slippers.

"Seriously Haruko, are you trying to make me to cause an accident in here? I've told you before to alert me ahead of time if you had to visit for any reason." She sighed.

"But we did, it should be on your phone right now." Haruko replied.

Raising an eye, the President checked her phone... and to her embarrassment, she saw it was out of battery.

"Oh, guess I didn't charge it like I thought..." She realized.

Kotori struggled to not laugh at the situation, and just _barely_ succeeded.

"Anyways, what exactly are you here for?" The President inquired, looking at everyone present.

However, the moment she laid eyes on Mio, she suddenly let out a surprised gasp.

"I don't believe it... the Spirit of Origin." She thought aloud.

"Huh? You know who I am?" Mio asked in surprise.

The President chuckled a bit, having expected Mio to be confused by her awareness of her identity the moment she spoke.

"We only met once when I was just 5 years old, and in the same manner most of the former mages did." She explained.

"Hold up, you were part of the 100 surviving mages?" Maria said in surprise.

"That's right. Not only that, but if I have my facts straight, then you should be quite familiar with my older brother, Ike." She revealed.

The Arusu twins turned white in shock, while everyone else gasped in surprise.

"I-Ike is... is your older brother!? Then... then that means... that makes you his..." Mio realized, feeling her eyes become spirals.

"Holy freaking crap!" Kotori screamed.

She let out a slight giggle, quite amused by their reactions.

"Guess I should formally introduce myself. My name is Elizabeth Camille Larsen, formerly known as Elizabeth Camille Westcott, though everyone calls me Elsie." She greeted.

Shiori and Tohka where the first to snap back to her senses, and while the latter's eyes briefly widened at her saying her last name was Larsen, the former decided to push the twins forward.

"Well then, you might want to meet your nieces." She suggested.

"Hold on... did you just say-" Elsie said, pointing at the two in surprise.

Taking a closer look, she managed to see their faces having a slight resemblance to Ellen, and expressions that she could compare to her brother's and Elliot's.

"You're my brother's children?" Elsie asked.

"Technically my father's Elliot and Westcott's my half father due to a whole thing we'll explain later, but... yeah, we're your nieces." Marina replied, looking away nervously.

She smiled at pat their heads, making them both flinch as blush slightly.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who entered the realm of parenthood, though I never expected Ellen would take the harem route. That just proves how gutsy she is." She remarked.

"Also entered the realm of parenthood? As in... we have a cousin we didn't know about?" Maria asked.

"I'm certain she's a little older than you, but yes." Elsie confirmed.

Tohka finally walked ahead once that was said.

"Then... that means Alicia would have been her aunt, right?" She inquired.

Elsie was about to answer, only to feel her eyes widen as she finally got a good enough look at Tohka to realize who she resembled. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at everyone else and then realized Rinne resembled Saran, making her take a deep breath.

"OK... something tells me we'll all need to sit down and talk about why two people among your group I knew died 30 years ago have lookalikes with different hair colors." She decided.

That reaction surprised some of the group.

"Wow, she took that better than I expected." Miku remarked.

"Yeah, she's definitely Westcott's little sister." Shiori agreed.

* * *

Roaming around part of the city, a girl with long hair the color of the night could be seen from the mouth down as she sat on a bench, relaxing with a leg resting over her lap as she just laid out in the sun and chewed some gum.

Her attire consisted of an opened short sleeved leather jacket with a pink shirt, jean shorts, and brown boots with straps and small heels on them.

*"RING! RING! RING!"*

*"RING! RING! RING!"*

Noticing her phone go off, she looked at the caller ID before answering.

"Yeah, I'm here. What's up?" She asked.

The sound of muffled phone talk was heard, the voice seemingly female from the fairly high tone of the chatter.

"Really, I see..." She replied, nodding slightly.

She kept listening for a bit longer, until the one calling her mentioned something.

"You sure?" She inquired, raising one of her unseen eyes.

They replied with a confirmation, making her nod before she stood on her feet.

"Alright, I'll meet you there." She replied.

Hanging up her phone, she began walking to the promised location as she blew a gum bubble and then popped it, followed by her spitting it towards the nearest trash bin with incredibly accuracy despite the large gap between them.

* * *

With a different room of the _White Tower_ as the group learned while walking there, Elsie was seen taking a sip of tea as Mio finished explaining everything, ending with the reason behind Tohka and Rinne's familiar appearances.

"I see, so Tohka and Rinne here are reincarnations of Alicia and Sarah, and there are two other Spirits you haven't met who are like them." Elsie realized.

"Yeah, that pretty much sums everything up." Rinne confirmed.

Elsie crossed her arms for a moment, letting it fully sink in.

"How my husband would have taken hearing his sister has been reborn in a new form is something I can't even imagine, but... everything else is huge. Doubly so with how the Day of the Black Earth caused all countries to be forced into self-reliance while the DeNA seems to have walked around that." She stated.

"Speaking of which... Aunt Elsie, how did you end up in America? Much less Kotori's parents?" Maria asked.

"For me? After my brother, Elliot, and Ellen found Mio, the mages scattered around the globe, and I followed a group led by Alicia's brother since I always had better tech skills than magical ability. Despite that, I was around my brother enough to see the tech he made, making it easy to tell Haruko and Tatsuo were riding a ship he had a hand in making." Elsie explained.

She briefly closed her eyes as she recalled how they ended up reaching the city.

* * *

 _It was early in March, and Elsie could be seen working on her current project while also looking over some important document, sipping a mug of coffee to keep herself active._

 _"Let's see... some iron is needed for this project, though I need to send out some of our fish to-" She said to herself._

 _*"CRASH!"*_

 _Her eyes widened as she heard the loud sound, nearly dropping her mug of coffee as a few drops of it splashed out, turning her head towards part of the room._

 _"What was that!?" She questioned; her eyes still wide._

 _Walking up to her window, she saw some smoke rising into the air, but the people of NYC were all heading towards the source instead of way from it, implying whatever was making the smoke hadn't been something dangerous._

 _Deciding to take a look, she headed to the ground floor and had a limo drive her over to the scene._

 _"Is there anything about that loud crash we can gather so far?" She asked her driver._

 _"It seems like some kind of aircraft, and based on eyewitness reports I've been hearing, it was already damaged before the crash, meaning this was likely a crash landing. What's weird is no one recognizes it... yet it seems like some of your creations based on its design." The driver answered._

 _That made Elsie raise an eye, though she didn't have a chance to ask further on the last part of his words as they arrived, allowing her to see the damaged DEM airship on the ground._

 _'Hold on, this looks like-' She realized._

 _Her thoughts were interrupted by the door shaking, before finally managing to lower itself and allow its two passengers to walk out, revealing Haruko and Tatsuo as the ones who were driving it._

* * *

After hearing that, Tohka felt herself blink a few times.

"Kotori, didn't it seem odd when your parents didn't contact you or the DEM after what happened?" She asked, raising an eye.

"My parents' jobs often have them away for as long as three months at a time, and often too busy to call back." Kotori explained.

"Oh." Tohka replied.

"For anyone curious to why we crashed like we did? We got hit by a unit of Bandersnatch, and one of them was particularly lucky in dealing some damage since it took out our navigation systems. We had to keep flying and evade it while it attacked us, only wrecking it by the time we neared America, thinking it was part of Japan." Haruko explained.

"Which is why you couldn't let everyone know what happened." Shiori realized.

That got Mio's attention, who finally asked a question she should have asked long ago.

"Exactly why are we unable to contact other countries or nations anyways? I mean, while I get the entire world took some damage and got changed by how I saved it, that can't have been what made contact with the rest of Humanity near-impossible." Mio inquired.

"The structure of the internet was heavily damaged. While no loss of data occurred, a lot of the global connection points got destroyed by the tectonic shifts and the extreme weather that ravaged the world, if not fully destroyed by the rampaging energy you had to stop." Elsie explained.

"Said tectonic shifts are half of the reason, besides how quickly you had to act, that likely caused Japan to be placed next to New York... and moved Hawaii away if the islands weren't sunk by them and the eruptions its volcanoes emitted." Tatsuo added.

Mio said nothing before giving a nervous laugh at those facts, quickly stuffing her face with the snacks before her to distract herself.

"So, do you think repairing our ship is something you can do?" Marina asked.

"I won't know for sure until I see the blueprints, but it's definitely a possibility. That should give you the time to find... what's the code name for this Spirit again?" Elsie replied.

As everyone realized they didn't give her a name, Mio swallowed her snacks, having already thought ahead in that area.

"It's Tanuki, because her power based on transformation." She answered.

"You already gave her a code name?" Shiori asked in surprise.

"Since I already figured out their elements, it seemed like a good idea to name them all, so I did just that while we waited for Tohka to wake up." Mio revealed.

Taking out a list, everyone saw the listed names, with each Angel written next to them.

Raziel - Chronicle  
Zafkiel - Midnight  
Zadkiel - Undine  
Michael - Astraea  
Haniel - Tanuki  
Raphael - Sylph  
Ekenor - Nebula  
Shekhinah - Fairy  
Uriel - Tempest  
Jophiel - Erdgeist

"Fairy... I like it, this code name fits better than the one Shiori gave me. No offense." Rinne remarked, looking at her as she said that last part.

"None taken, it was made on the fly anyways." Shiori replied.

She typed a few buttons on her Crystal Caller, making a pair of holograms showing the data for two blueprints.

"Two blueprints?" Elsie said in surprise.

"The ship as we've been using it is a stripped-down version due to one of the necessary parts for the completed model still being in its developmental stage. It's known as the Ashcroft Beta, after our deceased first cousin." Marina explained.

Looking closer at the blueprints for the completed version, Elsie's eyes focused on the notes and details tied to the Ashcroft Beta devices, then smiled a bit.

"Actually, I might just be able to complete them and rebuild your ship in its completed state." She said in a hopeful tone.

"Really!?" Maria shouted in surprise.

"Yes, if only because you found your way here around this point in time. See, there have been a few threats from the DeNA your parents have been a huge help in dealing with, and because of that... I've managed to steal and reverse engineer some of their technology." She replied, smirking once she mentioned the theft of their enemy's tech.

"Ooh!" Kotori remarked, smirking slightly.

"Though in return, I need you to do me a pair of favors. One while you're here and another for once you're able to return to Japan." Elsie requested.

"Sure, what do you need?" Mio agreed.

"I think that's something I should show you rather than tell you." Elsie replied.

* * *

Back within the area of Japan where the true Kurumi spoke with her one clone that best resembled her among her past attires, the rest of her clones finally arrived, with most having taken their time to arrive because of tasks they needed to finish.

"Good, all of me is finally here. Now we can get this meeting underway." Kurumi smiled, twirling one of Zafkiel's guns in her left hand.

Taking a moment to clear her throat, a serious expression appeared on her face.

"First, I need the four members of the Five Heavenly Kings to join me at the front." She ordered, briefly glancing at the one beside her.

Four shadows shot into the air before landing before her, revealing the only other clones who had a different attire among her army.

The first was the same clone who had a talk with Phantom, only she was now wearing a purely cosmetic eye patch over her left eye, better known as Chuuni Kurumi. The next was a clone with a similar appearance to the clone already beside Kurumi, only she wore a kimono and had the same roses as Chuuni Kurumi on the same and opposite sides of her hair, better known as Kimono Kurumi.

The third looked like a goth who liked punk rock, having a cross around her neck and bandages on her right hand and left arm, better known as Punker Kurumi. Finally, the fourth member was... wearing a dress that made her look like Little Bo Peep while holding an opened umbrella in her hands, better known as Maiden Kurumi. The clone with the original finished the group, and was better known as Killer Kurumi.

"You called?" They all replied.

"Yes, it seems what we're looking for isn't in Japan, and now the group that I recently had a small meeting with has left the country. As such... it's time for both those goals to be achieved in a different manner." Kurumi answered.

She looked at Killer Kurumi.

"I want you to go to France and wait for further instructions." She stated.

"At once." Killer replied.

She giggled before twirling around and sinking into her shadow.

"Punker, you'll be heading over to Brazil, though you need to be careful not to raise a certain Spirit's attention for a while." Kurumi continued.

Punker Kurumi responded by pulling away the soda she was drinking before squishing the empty can, then crushing it in her grip.

"Gladly." She replied.

Once she disappeared in the same manner, her eyes moved to Kimono Kurumi.

"Kimono, hide out in China for now." Kurumi ordered.

"As you wish." She replied, giving a curtsy in response.

She disappeared into her shadow seconds after, and Chuuni Kurumi was the next to gain her original's focus.

"You'll have a special task Chuuni, which is to follow the Lightning Spirit wherever she goes." Kurumi stated.

"Understood." Chuuni Kurumi nodded.

That left only Maiden Kurumi, who slightly twirled her umbrella as she glanced at Chuuni Kurumi's disappearing form.

"Finally, for you Maiden? I want you to go to America and deal with a group called Ratatoskr." Kurumi finished.

Closing her umbrella, she looked at her original.

"Anything that I should be aware of before I go, since you did just say this is a group you've had to deal with already?" She inquired, raising an eye.

"Nothing much, just that its full of Spirits... most of which should be near broken from my theft, and fairly weak after an attack from one of my clones." Kurumi answered.

This caused Maiden Kurumi to further raise an eye.

"Is that the reason why you left some kind of marker to track them with before they left?" She questioned suspiciously.

"What are you talking about? I don't have any ability like that. If I did, then I wouldn't need a whole network of information." Kurumi asked in confusion.

Hearing this, Maiden Kurumi felt her eyes widen.

As this conversation was going on, neither of them noticed Phantom's hidden form smirking as she watched them.

 **"By the time Kurumi realizes what she's talking about... it will already be too late."** Phantom declared.

She snickered before disappearing, right as Maiden Kurumi left for America, with both her and the real Kurumi unaware of what was going on... though even she had failed to notice something vital about what was said.

Something that, like she just claimed for Kurumi, would throw a wrench in her own plans.

* * *

A door raised within the basement area of White Tower as Elsie opened it, causing Ratatoskr to see a plethora of projects both finished and in development, along with a few other things.

"Whoa... guess technology is a family hobby, huh?" Shiori remarked.

"That I can't deny, except with my daughter." Elsie chuckled in reply.

Mio was the first to look around, and soon noticed one thing in particular that caught her attention, running up to it. The others wondered what her reaction was for, up until she held it up.

It looked like a CR-Unit, but where the ones they knew were like leotards due to being advanced Wiring Suits, this one seemed more like actual armor.

"Is that-" Kotori asked.

"Yeah, those are CR-Units made in Elsie's image. The main difference with hers come from lacking some materials along with a loss of the data we had on our ship when she decided to look over it. In fact, we have our own version of the AST called the SSS, or the Special Sorcery Service." Haruko confirmed.

Maria and Marina looked at it, getting a proper assessment using their powers.

"These CR-Units look like they trade speed for better defenses due to the bulkier design, likely to compensate for lacking the same magical output." Maria remarked.

"Makes sense, since unlike pops, she didn't study Mio's Ain Soph to fully replicate a territory, much less figure it out based off the remnant data." Marina agreed.

Elsie shrugged in response to that.

"Well, regardless of where knowledge of magic and knowledge of machinery affects me and my older brother's designs, it's how advanced most of the DeNA's technology that I'm more concerned over... especially with this." She stated.

Walking to a certain part of the wall, she tapped it to reveal a hidden panel, revealing a keypad. Typing in a code, it glowed green before the walls split apart.

"I wonder what we're about to see?" Yoshino wondered aloud.

"Me too." Rinne replied.

After the walls finished opening, the light turned on, revealing a white ship around the same size as the Fraxinus, but with a shape more like a head. This made everyone's besides Kotori's parents widen their eyes in surprise.

"By pure chance, a DeNA ship came to attack us, and moved in just the right place while we focused attention to its front for me to shoot its tail. This is that ship, the Goetia." Else revealed.

"Whoa..." Mio breathed.

Shiori walked up to it, and after looking around it for a bit, she felt her eyes widen.

"This is a one-man ship!" She suddenly exclaimed.

"Wait, say what? That can't be possible! A ship of this size would need a crew to run everything, much less operate!" Marina shouted in disbelief.

"Not with this one, but that's mainly because it's meant to equip to a wizard... or an automaton that acts like a wizard." Elsie explained.

"Equip? Then... what you're saying is this ship is basically a weapon unit that's shaped and functions like a ship, if not the other way around?" Maria asked, recalling the size of the White and Scarlet Licorice units.

"Exactly, and besides having found the remains of a Bandersnatch inside after we grounded it, we even have footage of how it worked." She confirmed.

Tapping part of the wall and typing on another keypad, a holographic video screen descended into view, playing a recording from around the time of Mio's return. The video began playing, showing the SSS wizards as they began firing at it.

However, the surprising part that made everyone gasp was seeing a flurry of blasts with such short distance between them and Goetia that it shouldn't have been able to dodge them... only for it to quickly shift side to side and evade being hit even once!

"No way! What was that speed!?" Kotori exclaimed.

"I think it was manipulating a territory, but... how could that be? Aren't most instances we've see of that as those sturdy barriers the AST wield?" Origami guessed, still unsure of what she saw.

"Simple, look at what happens when I adjust the screen filters." Elsie answered.

Typing in a command, a filter overlaid the video as she played back the evasion scene once more, and this time... everyone saw a flash focus at the moments the Goetia had dodged, then fading during the moments it was still.

"Uh... sorry, but I'm still not seeing the how, just a signal." Tohka remarked, squinting her eyes slightly.

"I can." Mio replied.

Everyone looked at her.

"That glow is the territory, or more specifically... a thin layer of it that's been wrapped around the entire ship. More than likely, by focusing just that small thin layer across the surface, the rest of its power can be focused on warping causality, physics, and/or other factors that even I'm not fully sure of just by seeing it used for dodging alone." She explained.

Maria and Marina's eyes widened as she looked at each other.

"I bet that must have been what dad was trying for the design. If you didn't have that level of control when trying to move the ship like that, or had it based fully on using the territories to function..." Marina began.

"Then the ship could be ripped apart just by simply moving, and then completely explode, through specific instances or in general!" Maria finished.

Shiori nodded as she heard them.

"Regardless of how much that's theoretical, the Fraxinus is definitely a genuine ship that likely runs on more systems than the Goetia, which seems to be focused on just its mobility than defense or firepower. With that in mind, it's no wonder these Ashcroft Beta devices are required. The output of territory needed to run this without running out and causing what Maria and Marina just stated would be incredibly high." She mentioned.

"And they succeeded, because of something I've been studying and applying to another creation of mine. One that I'm hoping will restore communications between the countries of this world." Elsie replied.

"Which would be...?" Shiori inquired.

"What I'm about to show you next." She answered.

She led everyone to the part of the room behind the ship, revealing an automatic door that lit up green when it detected her presence. Inside that room, everyone saw what looked like uniquely designed polygonal shapes laid out across the room.

Among these unknown devices, there were two levitating in the air, surrounded by lines of energy with different colors. The first one had a spiky shape with blue energy lines, while the second one seemed more like a sphere fused with a cube surrounded by red energy lines.

"Whoa, these are simple, yet the sight of them is just..." Origami breathed.

"Glad to hear that, since these are the first two Extranet points in existence." Elsie smiled, revealing what the objects were.

"Extranet?" Mio repeated.

"I've heard of that term before, it's an advanced form of the internet usually used in fiction instead of two countries, you're linking Earth with places across space-" Kotori explained.

She immediately froze as she said that, slowly turning towards Elsie.

"That's right. See, my other favor... relates to something theoretical as a result of what I obtained in order to make these devices." Elsie explained.

Everyone saw her turn to face them, a serious look on her face.

"Something... from _outer space_." She revealed.

* * *

 **What a chapter that was, so hopefully that cliffhanger showed it was worth a three month wait. This chapter took me a few tries to get just right, which was the main reason why there had been no prior foreshadowing to Elsie at all, because in all honesty... I created her just to finally finish this chapter! *giggles* Making her was still a joy, as it helps give more reason to why this story's Westcott is a good guy, and I plan for her to be in a future DAL story.**

 **To give a little more context on her presence in America, since it wasn't fully mentioned in the chapter due to Ratatoskr already knowing most of the mages' backstory? They split up and began traveling across the world, as some of the people living in their settlements were normal humans caught in the crossfire, a good example being the Westcott siblings' mother, and to try and raise awareness of the DeNA.**

 **Unfortunately, when the Day of the Black Earth happened shortly after that, said support was shattered along with the awareness of who among the mages survived the events, only having their already small numbers protect them to some degree. Speaking of which, now you're seeing how that event damaged the rest of the world, especially to a larger country like the USA... and they really took a big hit from it.**

 **As for Kotori's parents, some of you likely expected this is where they would appear, since they often live there in canon as a result of their jobs, so it made sense that they would be involved in repairing the Fraxinus... which might also get upgraded if Elsie's luck with reverse engineering the Goetia goes well. Though at the same time, with the DeNA and Kurumi's coming arrival, this will be a difficult task for her.**

 **Mayuri has also made her official debut, though she seems to look a bit familiar... especially with how her Angels' alternate forms and special techniques are named after Norse terminology. I wonder why that is? Then we have whoever that girl on the phone was, who may be one of the allies to the DeNA the guy calling himself Longinus referred to as the additional forces he was calling, or possibly another new ally for the members of Ratatoskr.**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	19. Revolutionary War II, Part 1

**Welcome back everyone. After how long it took for me to write Chapter 18, I made sure to give you this one much faster to make up for it. Anyways, we had a big cliffhanger last time, with the reveal that Elsie has managed to obtain something from space. I'm excited since the closest I've ever gone to space was adapting Mukuro's arc taking place there, but this time... *giggles and winks* well, let's just say it'll go further than Earth's orbit.**

 **Before I say anymore, you might have noticed that I've removed the text guide below and changed the formatting of the chapter title. For anyone that asks, I've slightly changed my writing style to forego most of what was in said guides, and kept only a few italicized and bolded text for things such as machines speaking or whenever Phantom speaks.**

 **Anyways, it seems no one was able to spot the hint I left by revealing Mayuri, so her next appearance is going to be interesting. However, right now we're focusing on the arrival of Maiden Kurumi as she begins her venture towards America for another encounter with our heroes, all while the DeNA sets up their own incoming ambush while Ratatoskr's distracting by searching for Natsumi and the space-based tech that Elsie showed them.**

 **Now, before we begin the chapter? I'd like everyone to know that I have a special announcement I'll be making when I submit Chapter 20, so keep an eye for it, because what I'm going to say will probably make a lot of you happy. There's more I'd _like_ to say, but can't because even the smallest of hints will be enough to give away what it's about.**

 **It's going to be a hectic chapter, so let's dive right in and see where it goes!**

* * *

 **[Chapter 19 - Revolutionary War II, Part 1]**

Everyone stared at Elsie like she had grown a second pair of arms.

"Hold the phone, did you say you built these with something you gained from outer space? Like... the currently impossible to reach or see outer space!?" Shiori questioned.

"Ironically, it's because I was both trying not to focus on space and it being impossible to reach that I was able to gain such a thing." Elsie replied.

"What do you mean?" Mio asked.

"As all of you already know, the world's geography has been drastically altered by the events of 30 years ago, both as a mixture of how Mio saved it and the various disasters that wreaked havoc before she put them to an end. Before I met Kotori's parents, the mere fact Japan was next to the United States was knowledge I didn't have. However, before they arrived and helped me learn this..." She explained.

She closed her eyes before continuing.

"I had tried sending out an old satellite installed with a high definition camera to take a map of the world, just to piece some kind of map together, one that immediately lost all function and dropped back to the ground before it could reach its target altitude." Else revealed.

"Was said altitude close to space?" Maria asked.

"Not at all. In fact, it was only meant to barely graze underneath the end of the atmosphere, something I believed it could do. It makes me even wonder if that's why it got knocked down since I lack video footage for any evidence. That being said, there was some kind of evidence we did have once it was recovered." Elsie shook her head.

"That was this so-called energy from space, right? Just what makes you think it came from there if you never intended to get that close to it?" Marina inquired.

"Two reasons specifically, and while I have to directly show you the second... the first only needs your eyes to see it." She explained.

Walking towards a desk terminal she used for maintenance and upgrading the Extranet devices, she tapped an area that caused some kind of large cylinder to come out before grabbing it and turning to show it to everyone.

Inside of it was something that made them all stare in wonder and confusion, as it looked like a large mass of Tohka's Reiryoku, only for it to look like it was made of multiple foamy circles and containing small stars inside.

Another way to define it? It didn't look like it was from this world, or at least... not the part of it they were used to.

"Is that _my_ power?" Tohka asked.

"I'm... not sure, but it definitely looks like yours, though I've never seen Reiryoku with such an appearance either." Mio admitted, rendered speechless in the presence of what she assumed was Reiryoku for the first time in her life.

Elsie nodded her head at their confusion and surprise.

"Exactly what I thought. Compared to the Reiryoku we've seen on Earth, this truly looks alien, and that made me wonder if it somehow had changed by being at the edge of space... until I studied further and head some kind of message." She explained.

That last part got Mio's attention.

"What kind of message?" She asked.

"I'm not fully sure. Despite I heard it, it seems that I wasn't meant to receive it, and it was kind of distorted. Nothing clear beyond... possibly fighting in vain... running from a great danger... like it was a call for help." Elsie replied, obvious uncertainty and confusion showing on her face.

Everyone was stumped, until Rinne let out a gasp, grabbing their attention.

"Remember how Aini was gathering the Sephira Crystals for something she can't remember? What if this is related to that, and the message is for Mio!?" She suggested.

Mio let out a silent gasp at that.

"Sounds crazy, but... maybe it is. Do you mind if I try touching it?" Mio realized, holding her hands out.

"If you feel it may help, then go ahead." Elsie permitted.

Placing the canister in her hands, Elsie and everyone waited for something to happen, and right as Mio was about to say otherwise... her eyes suddenly shook before they began glowing the same color as her Reiryoku, pulling her into a trance as her mind was flooded with images.

* * *

 _Hibiki was seen running alongside countless others as a large army of old model Bandersnatch and the faceless cloaked beings fired at them, making the land rock and shake as they desperately tried to escape onslaught aimed their way._

 _"Come on, we have to hurry! If they make it to ***STATIC*** then there's no hope for ***STATIC*** or anyone!" Someone screamed._

 _"No worries, look! We're almost there!" Hibiki shouted, pointing her finger straight ahead._

 _Following Hibiki's finger, everyone saw some kind of portal that headed to an unknown location. Hope briefly entered their faces as they neared it, but when they were only a few yards away from it..._

 _*"CRUMBLE!"*_

 _A flurry of something Mio couldn't see began ripping the ground apart, grabbing many of Hibiki's friends and/or allies as she and those at front briefly stopped and looked at what was the cause._

 _Whatever it was, Mio still was in the dark to its nature, only that it horrified them. While no sound reached her ears, they fell back as the ground shook from some loud nose._

 _"No... no, no, no, no, no, no!" Hibiki screamed._

 _"Damn it! Come on, get to the portal! Hurry!" Someone screamed._

 _They immediately continued their dash for the portal, even as everyone else was grabbed and pulled away. By the end, only Hibiki at the one who told everyone to hurry towards the portal were all that remained._

 _Realizing how close the unknown force/weapon/etc. was to nearing them... she gritted her teeth and started pushing Hibiki towards the portal._

 _"Tsuan, what are you doing!" Hibiki questioned, her eyes shaking._

 _"We can't let the enemy get to ***STATIC***! You have to-" Tsuan shouted._

 _*"FLASH!"*_

 _Time moved backwards slightly as Mio's Sephira Crystal flashed across this message, clearing up two things. The first being that, while still unseen, the enemy's massive aura of Maryoku was now visible as it flowed and wildly moved off its form._

 _"We can't let the enemy get to Earth! you have to break the other side of the portal! She's our only chance now! If we want our friends to be saved, and our homes to be restored... we must do this!" Tsuan shouted._

 _She finally pushed Hibiki through before slamming a hammer with traits of an axe onto something besides the portal, causing the half on her side to shatter as it slowly began to shrink and disappear._

 _"Tsuan, no!" Hibiki screamed, falling further into the portal's pathway._

 _Following her, the Maryoku rushed ahead, roaring before some kind of face appeared and shaped it into something like a skull with a neutral expression, only making it look scarier alongside the glowing red pupils in its eye slots._

 _Seeing the other end of the portal coming, and how it was nearing her, Hibiki cried as she was left with no choice._

 _"Please, don't let this all be for nothing, the rest is up to you now. Please, promise you'll save us all... Mio!" She begged._

 ** _"King Killing!"_**

 _Swiping her claws, the portal broke apart, trapping Hibiki in the pathway as the aura tried to break through. At the same time, on Earth, the portal was shown to be in the most unexpected place it could be..._

 _Inside the White Spacequake that Mio returned from, a sight confirmed by how only seconds later, Shido could be seen looking at her unconscious form._

* * *

Mio collapsed on one knee, making Rinne and Tohka rush to catch her and leading Elsie to catch the cylinder as she dropped it. As she her senses began to come back, she let out a few heavy breathes, looking up as she felt a few drops of sweat fall off her form.

"Mio, are you alright!?" Tohka worriedly questioned.

"I... I saw something... so much... it was... I'm not even sure how I should define it all... but... I think that what Aini told us... what she can remember? It was right... she was right!" She replied, feeling more sweat drip down her face.

That caught everyone's attention.

"Mio, tell us... what exactly did you just see?" Elsie asked.

She placed a hand on her head, breathing a little.

"I saw... people, I think? They were all running. Bandersnatch that looked different from the ones we know where chasing them, along with some kind of living cloaks that had wings, and then... then something invisible began to grab everyone and rip everything apart. They couldn't do anything, they just kept running... running and running until only two of them were left to escape the entrance to a portal." Mio began.

That last part caught Elsie's attention.

"But... whatever was after them... it caught up, and one of them began pushing the other towards the portal. At first, I couldn't hear where, but... my Sephira Crystal, it... I'm not sure, maybe cleared some of the noise? Either way, I finally saw something from what they were running from... its aura of Maryoku, and... it was like watching a living ocean following them! I heard the one girl repeat herself, but this time... I heard where it was the portal would take them. It was Earth!" Mio continued.

"OK, now I'm freaking out a little..." Origami replied, gulping slightly.

"After some more pushing... the one girl was finally pushed in, and then... her friend smashed something that kept her side of the portal open. I heard the girl scream... the sadness in her voice almost unbearable... right before the aura got in, following as it took on a face like the Grim Reaper, and with no other choice... she broke the portal's other entrance to hopefully keep it out. That's when... that's when I saw the most surprising sight... the one that proved Aini right." She kept going.

She took a deep breath, looking upwards at everyone.

"She... called my name, and I saw the portal close... revealing it was inside the Spacequake that dropped me in Tenguu City. Just to prove that as true, and prove Aini's words as true... Shido was there, in the same manner as the day we first met." Mio finished.

Everyone gasped at that.

"Seriously?" Kotori asked.

"Then Aini really was telling us the truth. Mio didn't travel through time... she was sent here from somewhere else!" Tohka realized.

"But where could it be? No, more than that, does what she saw mean the DeNA's reach is beyond this world?" Origami questioned.

Elsie thought for a moment.

"It really is real." She realized.

This caught everyone's attention as they looked at her, with Elsie closing her eyes as she took a deep breath.

"There are various teachings about the Kabbalah that my people knew, and one of them? The 4 Worlds." She explained.

"Four worlds? What does that mean?" Yoshino asked.

"From what I understand, its related to the word tied to God known as YHVH, specifically how everything relates to the Tetragrammaton... at least, that's what I remember after 30 years." Elsie explained.

That prompted looks aimed at Mio, who shook her head.

"Don't look at me. You know I'm not omniscient, and even if its linked to the Tree of Life, it's the first I've heard of this." She replied.

"Yeah, I think you're all relying on her for too many answers." Yoshino said through Hop.

She then made Scotch nod in agreement, causing everyone to look away in embarrassment.

"Well, in this particular case? The only important thing you need to know is that there are basically four different things linked to the divine human or how to understand life for one to become divine. There's Assiah, the physical world; Yetzirah, the mental world; Briah, the emotional world; and, Atziluth the spiritual world." Elsie continued.

"Like how Malkuth was once four colors, right?" Tohka inquired.

"That may have been a factor, but I'm not certain of it. Either way, that part isn't important, but what is? From what I've managed to understand, all the worlds together could make something more if not what leads to the creation of or the evolution into a divine human. Something that I believe my brother applied to his Spirit Formula." She stated, continuing her explanation.

She paused for a moment, closing her eyes once again. Only when she answered did they open once more.

"A fifth world representing God himself, the world of Adam Qadmon." Elsie revealed.

Mio's widened.

"That's right Mio, when you were born, my brother was quick to believe we may have also created another world. One that was beyond our reach. If you truly did survive the Day of the Black Earth through someone's intervention, this world made it possible. In a sense, along with creating you, we also created a _Spirit Dimension_." Elsie confirmed.

"Spirit... Dimension." Mio repeated.

"Yes, that name... I remember now!"

Everyone besides Shiori jumped as Aini reappeared, with Kotori's parents and Aini giving confused looks due to being unable to see her.

"There are three people tied to Mio's Angels only Spirits and Shido can see, and only those who they want them to hear can." Shiori explained.

"We'll... take your word for it." Tatsuo replied.

Mio looked at Aini, feeling hopeful on the answers she might be able to give her.

"What is it you remembered?" She asked.

"On the Day of the Black Earth, when you expected to have died... someone pulled your weakened body away, and placed you in some kind of stasis bubble to heal you. While I still don't remember who? It was someone important, and they told me I needed to gather all the Sephira Crystals because of a future threat, as having them find someone to bond with would have allowed your powers to be fully recovered the moment you returned." Aini recalled.

"Then the reason Phantom attacked you was-" Kotori realized.

"Yes, to make sure this wouldn't happen. I didn't need to find Ekenor because by then, Mio would have been sent back and awakened upon her return. I worry that this is also why Tohka and Rinne lacked any memories of their past lives. Because the same failure to do so basically caused their bodies to form as blank slates, though I doubt Phantom was aware of this fact when she stole them, leaving only Zadkiel and Jophiel to ruin things." Aini confirmed.

"Of course that was why..." Shiori sighed.

Mio let this all sink in, remembering the giant female figure she met that one time. Was she the one that saved her that day?

"Wait, what about the Bandersnatch? Does that mean DeNA's involved with this?" Miku inquired.

"Not necessarily. They were old models, so it's possible they were just stolen. Although... that's only if they weren't being lent to whatever was emitting that Maryoku." Maria answered.

"And those robbed figures complicate things as well." Marina added.

Elsie sighed, looking at the Cylinder of unique Reiryoku again.

"Whatever the case behind all of this, it's clear this Reiryoku is some kind of clue towards everything. We just need to somehow get a better view of space, since now that we know this, I'm almost certain the Spirit Dimension's location... must be somewhat among the stars." She said with confidence.

"Maybe I can help there?" Mio suggested.

Everyone looked at her.

"Well, if I was able see the message, then maybe I could get that satellite by giving it some of my Reiryoku as a power source?" She guessed.

Elsie thought about that for a moment.

"Yes... that might just work." She realized.

"Then let's have Mio stay here for a bit while the rest of us begin our search for the next Spirit, after all..." Shiori suggested.

Tapping her Crystal Caller, everyone saw the symbol for the Zafkiel Crystal slowly nearing America.

"Right, she's still tracking us through Tohka. We need to hurry before she attacks us again." Origami realized.

"I'll try to repair and maybe even upgrade your ship in the meantime. Though for that other favor? I want you to try taking one of the Extranet devices back to Japan with you once you leave." Elsie decided, bringing up her other favor.

"Because you want to see if that will reconnect communications between American and Japan, right?" Kotori realized.

"That's right. If that happens, then these devices will become an important part of our fight against the DeNA and rebuilding the damage from 30 years ago." Elsie nodded, smiling as she did.

Shiori nodded her head in agreement, then looked at everyone.

"OK everyone, the search is on!" She announced.

* * *

Humming as she sat at a table with a box of pizza before her, eating all the gooey cheese stretched between her mouth and the slice in her hands, the disguised model was enjoying the peace she obtained since firing her awful manager from her service.

"Oh yeah, this is so much better without stress in the way. Especially without the annoying chatter about needing to watch my figure." She smiled.

She made mocking sounds as she had her free hand move like a talking mouth.

"Hello!? Due to my abilities, it's impossible for me to get fat! I'm honestly surprised that didn't clue me in to fire him long ago." She continued, sighing slightly.

"So, what you're saying this is therapeutic eating, Natsumi?" A female voice asked.

Turning around, the girl now revealed to be called Natsumi smiled as she saw the girl from the bench walk up to her, currently with her arms crossed.

"Tenka, glad to see you my girl!" Natsumi waved.

With her name finally revealed, the girl's face finally came into view, revealing she looked almost like an identical twin of Tohka's had there not been three defining differences that only had them strongly resemble each other.

Her night color hair lacked her signature ponytail and ribbon, making it somewhat shorter. Her eyes had more of a pinkish tint to Tohka's more purplish ones. Finally, where the shape of Tohka's eyes made them always seem wide with excitement, hers were somewhat closed as if she was always partially uninterested in everything and everyone.

"So, you finally fired that dumb ass manager of yours. Took you long enough." Tenka remarked.

"Don't remind me, I have no idea why I kept him for so long." Natsumi sighed in embarrassment.

"What was his name even? All I can remember is it being something that sounded like _pouting on_ , or something along those lines." Tenka questioned.

Both of them laughed after she had said that.

"Well, he's definitely gotta be _pouting on_ since I fired him!" Natsumi mentioned.

Once again, the two girls lost themselves in a fit of laughter.

"So, what about you? Anything new for you to air out?" She asked, right before eating another pizza slice.

"One sec." Tenka replied.

She waved to a waiter, who walked over to her.

"Mac & Cheese." She requested.

He nodded before heading into the kitchen to get her order prepared, followed by Tenka shifting herself as she placed both her feet on the table.

"Nothing new, just the usual stuff about my mom being busy all the time." She shrugged.

"Having the president for a mom must be tough." Natsumi replied.

"Yeah, but... I get she's gotta put work above everything when we've got all these threats to worry about. Mind you while I understand, that doesn't make me happy either. Especially since dad died." Tenka replied, sighing as she did.

Natsumi didn't say anything, knowing Tenka's current personality mainly came from the unintentional neglect her mother's job had left her with, and the death of her father during the Goetia's attack on the city.

"Uh... say, did you hear the big news a few hours ago?" She inquired, trying to change the subject.

"What news?" Tenka inquired.

Natsumi pulled out a tablet from her bag and brought out an article labeled _Shocking Event, New Japanese Residents land in New York City!_ at the top. Below it was a picture of the Ratatoskr group.

"People from Japan, like that married couple who crashed here a few months ago?" Tenka asked.

"Yeah, and I think one of them is that same couple's daughter. Either they're some kind of rescue team or-" Natsumi replied, shrugging in uncertainty.

"Hold it." Tenka interrupted, holding her hand out.

Taking the tablet, and leaving Natsumi confused by the simple fact this had made her interrupt her, Tenka focused her eyes on one of the images. When she did, she used her fingers to zoom in on part of the image.

The part of the image that showed Tohka on it, or as her eyes recognized it...

'Aunt Alicia? No way, that's... I thought dad told me she died during the Day of the Black Earth?' She questioned.

Tenka stood up, getting Natsumi's attention.

"Tenka?" She asked nervously.

"Grab that pizza and let's get going, we've gotta find these people." She stated, her tone clearly saying Natsumi couldn't refuse her.

"Uh... don't you want your Mac & Cheese first?" Natsumi asked, pointing the restaurant door.

Hearing that, Tenka froze in place before growling slightly, sitting back in her chair until her food came out.

"Stupid slow-moving fast food joints..." She mumbled to herself.

* * *

After deciding their plan of attack, the members of Ratatoskr split into groups as part of their search for Natsumi and preparations to deal with Kurumi's impending arrival, still unaware of the DeNA presence that was preparing to do the same.

Maria, Marina, and Shiori all stayed with Elsie, getting the satellite ready for Kotori's parents to deploy as they began working on either repairing or upgrading the Fraxinus. Tohka, Yoshino, and Rinne formed the first search party taking the West side of the city, while Origami, Miku, and Kotori formed the second taking the East side of the city. Currently, it was Origami's group in focus.

"Alright, do we all have copies of Aini's drawing?" She asked, holding hers up.

"Got mine." Kotori confirmed.

"Same with me." Miku smiled.

Origami nodded, and the group resumed their walk across the city.

"Still, it may still be hard to find clues. This is only a drawing of her as she was when Aini lest met her, and it's not like she's the only one in this entire city with green hair." She mentioned.

"Then we have the fact she's wearing a disguise. If we're not careful, she could probably walk right past us and we'd never even realize it." Kotori added.

Right at that very moment, the trio failed to see Tenka and the still disguised Natsumi walk past them, heading towards the West area of town. Miku soon let out a small laugh in response, confusing her fellow Spirits.

"She won't get past us. You're forgetting I've had experiencing disguising myself due to my status as an idol." She smiled, winking for emphasis.

"Uh... Miku, no offense, but we're talking about someone who could disguise herself as a boy, animal, or even an object. Have you attempted to disguise yourself as any of those things?" Kotori questioned.

Miku blinked a few times, her face held in a frozen smile as she began to sweat, unable to find the courage to admit she had not.

"You think there's some kind of clue we could use due to her powers? I mean, if Miku's an idol and her elemental affinity is sound, so maybe a Spirit with the power to change her appearance might use that in a similar line of work?" Origami wondered.

"Hmm... maybe a magician?" Kotori guessed.

"Yeah, guess that could work. Let's ask around to see if anyone does any magic shows in this city." Origami agreed.

Right as they were about to walk, Miku let out a loud gasp, getting their attention.

"What, did you see something?" Kotori asked.

"I don't know, why don't you tell me after watching this ad?" Miku inquired.

Origami and Kotori followed her eyes, then gasped in the same manner as they saw an advertisement for a perfume commercial playing on a building screen. Wearing a sexy and revealing green bikini with a few small emeralds placed on it, the model was shown to be none other than Natsumi.

 _"Island Wind perfume. Empower yourself with the smell of the natural ocean breeze, and make some waves without overpowering your friends' noses."_ Natsumi encouraged, giving a flirty wink.

Origami quickly took out her phone and snapped a photo, then looked at it while holding Aini's drawing by it.

"Jade green eyes... long green hair... similar eye shape... guys, it looks like a perfect match!" She exclaimed.

"I can't believe a mere ad told us everything." Kotori remarked.

"W-Well don't just stand there you two! We need to call everyone and let them know we found out who we're looking for so can figure out who she is!" Miku exclaimed, flailing her arms up and down for emphasis.

Origami and Kotori quickly realized this and began calling the other groups while Miku tried to find some magazines, hoping to find the girl they saw in them.

* * *

Meanwhile, with Tohka's group on the West side of town, she was shown to be in heavy thought as Yoshino and Rinne stared at her.

"Uh... Tohka?" Rinne asked.

"N-No, I remember where we are! Just give me a minute!" She exclaimed.

Rinne gave an awkward laugh as she looked at Yoshino, who did the same.

"We're lost, aren't we?" Yoshino whispered.

Rinne nodded her head in confirmation.

"OK, we turned this way, but then... uh, we then looped around the other side... no wait, ugh!" Tohka groaned, holding her head.

"Tohka, maybe we should take a break before your brain pops." Yoshino suggested.

Just as she was about to say otherwise, Tohka heard her phone going off, taking it out to see it was Origami calling her.

"I'll be over here for a moment, don't try to change our directions, because I _definitely_ know where we're going!" She stated.

As Tohka left, Rinne and Yoshino looked at each other.

"Let's hurry and discreetly fix our navigation route while she isn't looking." Yoshino whispered.

"Just make sure she doesn't notice. She's surprisingly alert to things she didn't do." Rinne reminded.

Yoshino nodded, and they began their work.

However, they never even got the chance to start as a pair of hands suddenly grabbed Yoshino's mouth. Rinne was about to scream to alert Tohka, but the same happened to her, right as both saw some of Kurumi's clones looking over their shoulder.

"Sorry, but..." The first clone said.

"We have something else in mind for you two." The second clone smiled.

Completely powerless with their mouths covered, both were pulled into the ground through the clones' shadows, all while Tohka walked further and further away while on the phone.

"Hello? Hello? Origami, are you there?" Tohka asked.

Shaking her phone, Tohka looked at the screen to see that her call didn't go through.

"Must be because we're not in Japan." She assumed.

As she pocketed her phone, she failed to see the shadow marking of an Aleph bullet on its backside, showing the real reason Origami's call didn't go through.

Just as she was about to turn around and find the others, she bumped into someone and fell over. The fall caused her to hit her lower back, making her wince.

"Owie!" Tohka whimpered, closing her eyes as she rubbed it.

Opening her eyes again, she suddenly stood before Natsumi and Tenka, her and Tenka's eyes suddenly widening as they saw each other, with Natsumi blinking three times before rubbing her eyes and showing they had gone fully white from shock.

Just to emphasize this, both Tohka and Tenka leaned in the same direction, then waved their hands in front of each other.

"Hello?" They said in unison.

That action made Natsumi stuff a whole slice of her pizza in her mouth, just to keep herself from shouting _Holy freaking crap!_ at the top of her lungs.

'I thought this only happened in movies!' Natsumi whispered to herself.

Both of them held their hands out and prepared to touch the other's pointer finger as they extended them, and once they finally touched?

*"ZAP!"*

Both of them yelped and shook said finger as they felt a shock.

"Ah!" Tohka shouted.

"Damn it, what the hell was that!" Tenka angrily questioned.

Natsumi sighed in relief, taking out the last slice of pizza from her box as their weird twin telepathy thing finally stopped. Although they did touch fingers again, just to see if it was just a onetime thing or not.

"Did I have static charge from holding my phone or something?" Tohka wondered, scratching her head.

She then got a closer look at Tenka, who clearly looked uncomfortable by how close she was getting.

"Why do you look so much like me?" She asked.

"I'd like the answer to that. You just happen to look identical to my Aunt, and if I'm right... Natsumi?" Tenka questioned in return, glancing at her.

She focused her eyes as she finished a bite.

"Hmm... yep, her posture and the shape of her facial features are an exact match. Can't tell if there's anything else like her rate of blinking or her scent that's different since I never got to meet your Aunt, but going by how much already is a perfect match, I think it's safe to say this girl is identical to your aunt when excluding her hair and eye color." Natsumi confirmed.

Hearing that, Tohka suddenly gasped as she realized who Tenka was.

"Ah, you must be Elsie's daughter!" She realized, flashing a big smile.

Tenka blinked at that.

"Hold on... how do you know my mother's name?" She asked suspiciously, focusing a glare towards Tohka's eyes.

"My name's Tohka Yatogami, and I'm the reincarnation of your Aunt!" Tohka revealed.

Hearing those words, Tenka's eyes suddenly went white, while Natsumi's next bite of her pizza froze as the cheese linking it and her mouth sunk slightly, the box in her other hand dropping to the ground with a loud thud. Only when she resumed chewing did Tenka shook her head to regain her senses.

 **"WHAT THE LIVING HELL!?"**

A bunch of birds began flying through the air, with Tohka's body shaking from the intense volume.

'I thought only Miku could do that...' Tohka thought, in a slight daze.

She soon fell over, her eyes having turned into spirals as Natsumi and Tenka stared at her, neither of them sure of what to do other than wait for her to wake up.

* * *

Origami blinked as she looked at her phone, seeing she and Tohka had somehow gotten disconnected only moments after answering.

"Weird, I got through to Tohka, but... then I lost her." She stated.

"Really? That's weird, I got Shiori on my line pretty easily." Kotori replied, scratching her head.

"Found it!" Miku shouted.

Both of them turned their heads as Miku ran over, taking her phone out as she showed an image of Natsumi she found in the magazine, with a name listed.

"That girl's name is Natsumi Itsuwari, seems like she's the American model equivalent to my Japanese idol." She revealed.

"She definitely has a seven in her name, as I've seen a spelling using the kanji, so that definitely removes any possible doubts like her having a twin that could have thrown us off." Origami replied, wiping her forehead in relief.

That got Miku's attention.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I tried calling Tohka, but I lost her the moment I answered." Origami explained.

"Maybe she accidentally turned her airplane mode on again?" Miku suggested.

Origami blinked.

"Yeah, she does tend to do that, doesn't she? Guess I should try calling Rinne and Yoshino." She realized, blushing in embarrassment.

She opened Rinne's contact, only to immediately go blank.

"Her number's not available?" She said in confusion.

Kotori and Miku looked at Origami worriedly as called Yoshino next, hoping for a different result... only to see her face go pale.

"Guys, I can't call either of them! It's just going straight to saying their phones can't be reached!" Origami panicked.

"Quick, look up Tohka's location and we'll look up theirs!" Kotori shouted.

Origami nodded and did just that, while Kotori did the same for Yoshino and Miku checked Rinne's, causing all of them to sweat as they waited a minute or two for a result. While Tohka's phone got a result despite the lack of map data to say where she was... a question mark appeared for Rinne and Yoshino's phones.

"What's going on!?" Kotori questioned.

Thinking for a moment, Origami gasped as she pulled up her Crystal Caller, thinking it might be Kurumi... only to see the Zafkiel Crystal was still nowhere near theirs.

"It isn't Kurumi's doing, she isn't even here yet." She stated, feeling a nervous sweat on her face.

"Which could only mean..." Miku realized.

She didn't even finish as the trio began rushing towards the West side of town to find Tohka, with Origami calling Mio as they ran.

* * *

Elsie was seen with her nieces and Shiori as they began gathering all the tools they needed for the Fraxinus, going over a checklist.

"OK, think that's all the tools we need. Now we just wait for Mio." She stated.

As if that had been her cue, Mio teleported into the room alongside the Fraxinus, panting heavily as she slumped onto the ground due to the exhaustion of teleporting the large ship into the room.

"I'm OK, just... just give me a minute." She reassured them, wiping her forehead as she felt her sweat drip off of it.

"Take your time, we can handle this for now." Shiori reassured her.

She took a moment to jump inside, leaving Elsie confused until she heard the rev of an engine, with her eyes going wide as she saw Shiori's personal bike jump out of the ship.

'Not even going to ask...' Elsie decided.

As she sat and rested, Mio heard her phone ring, seeing it was Origami calling her before she answered.

"Hello?" Mio answered.

"Rinne and Yoshino... missing... DeNA... panic... help!" She screamed.

 **[** **Date A Live II: Bandersnatch** **]**

Before Mio could reply to her, she heard a scream before getting disconnected.

"Guys, we have a problem." Mio stated.

"What kind?" Shiori asked nervously.

"Apparently, the DeNA is attacking the city right now to cause some kind of panic, kidnapped Rinne and Yoshino, and now the rest of our friends need help!" Mio shouted.

This made everyone gasp.

"Mio, go and help them. I'll alert the SSS and have them deploy right now." Elsie ordered.

"Right!" She nodded.

She teleported out of the room, right as Elsie placed a headset in her ear.

* * *

Back outside, the sight of DeNA machines invading the city could be seen, some of which Ratatoskr was unfamiliar with. Alarms were going off as the city rose its Spacequake shelters into position, with everyone screaming and running as they hurried inside them.

At the moment, a bunch of Cheshire Cats were surrounding the Origami's group, holding them down as they struggled to resist. As a few began to overwhelm Origami, a loud grunt escaped her throat.

"Get off me!" Origami screamed.

She managed to intentionally fall back with enough speed to make them loose their grip, giving her a chance to kick them away.

 **"Ehyeh!"**

 **"Metatron!"**

Origami took to the sky, aiming the pillars of her Angel towards the other Cheshire Cats as they began firing beams of light, sending the automatons flying away from Kotori and Miku.

Seeing they were no longer surrounded, Kotori smirked in response.

"Let's do this!" She exclaimed.

"Right!" Miku agreed, nodding her head.

They raised their hands.

 **"Elohim Gibor!"  
"Shaddai El Chai!"**

 **"Camael!"  
"Gabriel!"**

Now all equipped with their Astral Dresses and wielding their Angels in hand, the Cheshire Cats leaped to the side and reactivated their invisibility.

"Damn cheaters!" Kotori growled.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Miku winked.

Closing her eyes, she released a few visible sound waves from her mouth, using the buildings of the city have them scatter and magnify. In a few seconds, the bouncing sound ripples began showing outlines of the hiding automaton units.

"Did you just weaponize echolocation!?" Origami asked in surprise.

"I did." Miku confirmed with a wink.

Realizing they were visible, the Cheshire Cats began to retreat, prompting the three to chase after them.

* * *

Hearing the alarms go off, Tenka and Natsumi realized what was going on.

"No way, we're being attacked by that group of robot freaks now of all times!?" Tenka exclaimed, an annoyed expression on her face.

"Looks like I've got no choice then." Natsumi realized.

She was about to react, right as a group of Jabberwocky charged at the duo from the sky, making them gasp.

Lucky for them, fate had favored their side as Tohka's eyes finally shot up and her fighting instincts kicked in.

 **"Adonai Melek!"**

 **"Sandalphon!"**

In what felt like slow motion to them, Tenka and Natsumi saw Tohka charge ahead, slashing all of the Jabberwocky in half and rain their broken parts all around them. Once she landed, she let out a breath as her senses returned and turned to them.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

"I'm not sure of the context since I was conked out for a bit, but I'm glad you're both safe now." She smiled, returning to the ground.

Natsumi soon walked near her, getting Tohka's attention as she saw Natsumi's eyes shake.

* * *

 _A young Natsumi could be seen walking through part of the USA's many ghost lands, wearing nothing but a gray hoodie for clothes and having messy unkempt hair unlike the silky-smooth hair Aini was more familiar with._

 _*"GRUMBLE!"*_

 _Hearing her stomach growl, she stopped to look around the area, soon managing to spot an apple tree... though said apples were incredibly high due to the height of the tree in question._

 _"Oh boy..." She sighed, walking towards it._

 _She jumped onto the tree and attempted to climb it, but quickly slid down as she failed to properly hold it. Looking sadly at the apples above, she prepared to leave, when all of a sudden._

 _*"MUNCH!"*_

 _Looking behind her, she saw a squirrel at the treetops as it grabbed a nut from a knothole near the top. She watched it climb down, and once she did, she felt her eyes twinkle before she jumped onto the tree again._

 _This time, she somehow managed to climb it like an expert and make it to the top. Smiling as she sat down, she grabbed an apple and began eating, not caring if she were to accidentally swallow any of the seeds._

 _"That was incredible." Someone praised._

 _She began choking on a bite due to the surprise, making her hit her chest a few times until she managed to swallow it._

 _Looking to the side, she saw the unique form of Aini floating besides her, making her scream as she hugged onto the tree._

 _"W-Who are you!?" Natsumi demanded._

 _"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you. I was just amazed by how you seemingly learned to climb after watching that squirrel. Are you a natural at things once you learn how to do them, or is it perhaps-" Aini reassured her, showing her curiosity._

 _"A Seirei Ability? Yeah, it is. I'm able to mimic things that I properly see, provided its Humanly possible." Natsumi confirmed._

 _Just to emphasize it, she grabbed another pair of apples from the tree before jumped to the ground. While it would normally be dangerous, the moment she landed, it was as if she was a cat._

 _"Whoa..." Aini said in amazement, clapping her hands._

 _Natsumi slightly blushed in response._

 _"Uh... thanks. I guess it deserves that respect, since... it's the only reason I'm alive out here." She admitted._

 _"That's actually something I've been wondering. I'm kind out here because I'm sort of on my own personal adventure, but I don't see why a kid your age would be wondering the ghost lands." Aini realized._

 _Natsumi paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before she began._

 _"I've been trying to reach New York City, for a better life." She admitted._

 _Aini tilted her head in confusion._

 _"Most of my life has been spent in an orphanage, having never known who my parents were, but I didn't want to keep waiting for something to happen. That eventually led me to leave one night while everyone was asleep, and have been on my own trying to reach New York to try and make my own something happen." Natsumi explained._

 _Hearing this, Aini gained an interested look on her face._

 _"You have potential, so why don't I give you something that can really help your dream become a reality?" She offered._

 _She took out the Haniel Crystal, making Natsumi's eyes widen as she saw it._

 _"You'd really giving me such a valuable gem to sell for money?" She asked._

 _"Oh no, this gem doesn't have any monetary value. However, after hearing your story, what it does have is something I believe only you can bring out." Aini explained._

 _Natsumi was confused by that choice of words._

 _"Take this gem, and one day, if not today... you'll find the potential to make your dream a guarantee." She clarified._

 _"Uh... OK?" Natsumi replied._

 _She touched the green gem, and in response, felt a huge pulse go through her body as the Haniel Crystal phased into her body. Aini was surprised at how fast it had bonded with her, covering her unseen eyes as Natsumi's body began to glow._

 _When it finally ended, Aini moved her eyes to see Natsumi with the appearance and clothes she remembered her by, with Natsumi feeling her now soft and smooth skin._

 _"W-What happened to me?" She asked, more happy than surprised._

 _Aini could only continue to stare, amazed by the sight before her._

* * *

As Natsumi's memory of the day she became a Spirit came to an end, Tohka could see her eyes shaking in surprise and wonder.

"You're... you're like me..." She realized.

Hearing those words, Tohka made a confused face while Tenka's eyes widened in shock, though Tohka soon let out a gasp once Natsumi took off her hat and reverted to her true appearance.

"It's you... you're the one Aini gave the Haniel Crystal to!" Tohka realized.

"And you two have officially made my brain hurt." Tenka groaned, rubbing her forehead.

The trio was soon interrupted by a loud whirring sound, making their eyes widen as they turned their heads to see an automaton with a size that was somewhere between that of a Jabberwocky and a Bandersnatch.

Its body was fairly humanoid compared to that of a Bandersnatch model's, having various spiked designs across it, and its arms were a pair of swords.

"That's a new one..." Tohka remarked.

"Careful, that's a deadly model known as an Exorcist." Tenka warned.

"No need, it can't be any better at a sword than I am." She replied.

Tohka jumped at it, ready to slash it.

*"SLASH!"*

However, it simply spun ahead with its two blade and sharp body, managing to actually cut through part of Tohka's Astral Dress as she let out a loud scream, holding the spot she was cut as she turned around.

 _"Threat Level is low, initiating zero concern battle mode."_

It dashed at Tohka with even more speed, leaving Tenka and Natsumi to stare in horror as Tohka's eyes widened.

 **"Ain!"**

However, before the Exorcist could even get near her, a familiar burst of light completely vaporized the automaton. Realizing who it was, Tohka turned to see Mio as she held her hand out.

"Mio! Just in time!" She smiled.

"Glad to see you're safe-" Mio replied.

As they both landed on the ground, Mio suddenly paused as she saw Tenka, making her briefly look at her and Tohka in surprise as her eyes went white.

"Tohka... who's your apparent doppelganger?" She asked, her eyes still white.

"Her? That's Elsie's daughter, Tenka Larsen." Tohka revealed like it was no big deal.

Mio's eyes left their white state as she gave a flat expression in response, making Tenka feel a sweat drop go down her face as she watched Mio stare at her.

"Uh... nice to meet you." Mio greeted, surprisingly calm.

'10 seconds of silence for that response!?' Tenka thought, slightly annoyed.

A whistling sound soon filled the air.

Looking towards the sky, a bunch of DeNA wizards were seen flying through the air as a bunch of pods began to drop across the city rooftops, hatching open to reveal half a dozen Bandersnatch units hidden within each. The pods were so numerous, their numbers soon reached into the hundreds.

"Oh boy, this looks serious." Tohka said, feeling a little nervous.

"Especially since we're lacking in manpower right now." Mio mentioned.

"Wait, what!?" Tohka replied in surprise.

Mio was surprised by that comment.

"Hold on, you don't know that Yoshino and Rinne have gone missing?" She asked.

Tohka's eyes widened.

"Oh man, I completely forgot about going back to them after I tried to answer Origami's call that never got through!" She realized, grabbing her head.

"Ahem!" Tenka cleared her throat.

Tohka looked at her.

"How about you get back to this conversation after we aren't dealing with a giant fleet of robots and evil wizards trying to bring down the city?" She suggested, an annoyed look on her face.

"Oh... right." Tohka recalled, chuckling in embarrassment.

"Then come on, let's join our friends!" Mio declared.

Both of them took off into the air, leaving Natsumi and Tenka to watch them disappear into the horizon.

* * *

Kotori shouted as she fired off Megiddo, destroying the last of the Cheshire Cats as she fell to her knees.

"You OK?" Miku asked.

"Just... tired." Kotori breathed.

As she felt her body slump, the sight of Gabriel's organ pipes sprouting around her caught Kotori's attention.

 **"Gabriel: Requiem!"**

Kotori quickly felt the effects of the song hit her, causing her fatigue to disappear as she got back on her feet, jumping a few times just to be sure.

"I am _so_ glad that Mio said your powers had a lot of supportive uses." She praised.

"Aw, you're making me blush!" Miku giggled.

Origami soon landed by the two, grimacing slightly as she pointed towards the sky.

"Look there." She warned.

Both of them followed her finger, paling as they saw the sight of the huge Bandersnatch army coming their way, with a few DeNA wizards and some of their other automatons spread between a few areas of the incoming swarm.

Just to make it worse, a huge DeNA warship came into view, revealing itself to have a Y-shape with a ring connecting the three points.

"Ready all the Arbatel's systems, hold nothing back against this pathetic city and those damn Spirits!" The Arbatel's captain declared.

Kotori felt a bit of sweat go down her left cheek.

"Man, they're really going all out this time..." She remarked, holding Camael closer.

"They have to know about our ship and at least Rinne if they didn't have a way to tell Yoshino is a Spirit now, so it makes sense they're increasing their fighting forces. It just proves how cheaty Elsie described them as." Origami mentioned.

"Well that's why we have to keep fighting back against their attacks. No matter how bad it gets, we still can't let them do as they please." Miku replied.

Kotori and Origami nodded in agreement.

"Don't forget about us!" Tohka shouted.

The three of them turned around to see Tohka and Mio fly into view before landing besides them.

"Oh, perfect timing you too." Kotori remarked with a toothy grin.

"Yes, their timing was indeed perfect." A familiar voice giggled.

All of them felt their eyes widen as they heard that very giggle turn into a laugh, which quickly echoed across the land as shadows began to form on the walls or ceilings of buildings and in the air before the DeNA forces that were halted by the irregular readings confusing their machines.

Rising from the shadows came an army of Kurumi clones, with a shadow before the group showing the form of Maiden Kurumi, twirling her umbrella.

"Ah, you must be the ones my true self warned me about. I hope you'll pardon this little interruption." Maiden Kurumi greeted, doing a small curtsy.

"What are you exactly? Some kind of super clone?" Mio questioned, glaring at her.

"Quite spot on. You may call me Maiden Kurumi, or just Maiden if you prefer. I'm one of the Five Heavenly Kings that represents an important moment of my true self's life, and on her orders, I've been sent to... take care of you." She confirmed.

Mio held out her hand.

"How about I just take _you_ out now?" Mio questioned, preparing to charge up Ain.

"Are you sure you want to erase everything of mine in America?" Maiden questioned.

"I do." She answered.

Mio prepared to fire Ain's light, but before she could?

 **"Shekhinah."**

A familiar whip wrapped around her hands, dispelling the light as everyone saw Maiden Kurumi move her umbrella to reveal Rinne, shocking the group.

"Rinne? What's going on here, why are you helping her!?" Tohka questioned.

"I've seen enough anime to know this... she's being hypnotized. Her eyes alone show it, look." Mio answered.

Tohka looked at her eyes, making her gasp as she saw her pupils were missing, showing she was in a trance.

"No way..." She gasped.

 **"Astaroth!"**

Shortly after saying that, a sudden chill passed through by, making everyone shake as they felt frost form on their Astral Dresses. It didn't take long to realize what the cause of the random ice wave was, but that didn't help them for what they saw next.

The sound of Scotch's laugh could be heard as everyone saw the sight of a Yoshino with white hair and red eyes, one of which had Scotch's eye patch over it.

Her Astral Dress was unchanged besides her bikini bottom lacking its sarong and its black color, the addition if gloves with rings like her broach, and a fur jacket on top of it. For her Demon, it was simply a monstrous Zadkiel in black with nearly closed blue eyes.

"Hope none of you mind, but I'm not Yoshino, it's almost like I'm... Yoshi _non_!" Scotch announced as she laughed, trying to make a joke about herself.

 _"That was anything but funny..."_ Hop sighed, her voice coming from Astaroth's body.

Mio shook a bit at seeing Yoshino inverted, looking at Maiden Kurumi who simply giggled.

"Don't look at me, even my true self was surprised when we saw that she had inverted, but if it works against your favor and helps kills two birds with one stone? Then I have no problems with it." She stated.

Mio glared at her, readying to use one of her other Angels to fight back.

"That's not going to stop us! If we defeat them, then we can free them from your spell and undo their Inversion respectively!" Mio exclaimed.

Maiden Kurumi sighed.

"I see, so that's how it is. Very well then... I guess we really do need you, don't we Shido?" Maiden stated.

"It seems we do." He replied.

Mio froze at that, only to suddenly be struck by an attack and knocked back, making everyone gasp as they looked at her. Tohka quickly rushed over.

"Mio, are you OK?" She asked.

Looking up, Mio saw who attacked her, and felt her heart break as she kept staring. Looking in the same direction, they saw who the attacker had been, and everyone nearly felt their hearts since.

Standing next to Maiden Kurumi with a similar smile on his face... was none other than Shido!

* * *

 **If there's any way for Mio to be really hurt in this story right now? That last scene spelt it out like fireworks writing your name in the sky. The DeNA's attack has begun, Maiden Kurumi and her army have arrived, and worst of all... she's managed to take Rinne and Yoshino, putting them under her control in a way that caused Yoshino to undergo inversion! However, the worst of it is Shido's apparently been hypnotized as well.**

 **Anyways, this chapter officially cements where things from Date A Bullet will be in this story, and space is that connection. It will be a while before I reveal more about how it all relates to space, so I hope it keeps you all guessing for a while, especially with what's happened to Hibiki since she never was shown escaping that path between the portals after she closed Earth's side of it.**

 **Also, surprise! That girl from last chapter was none other than Tenka Yatogami, who is none other than Elsie's daughter and a good friend of Natsumi's. She wasn't originally going to be in the story, but when I created Elsie to finish Chapter 18, I decided to add her in for the same reason. While you'll have to wait a bit to know what her role is, I can at least say she won't become a Spirit.**

 **Well, that's it for this chapter. Get ready when part two of the America arc comes to a close, not just because of the big announcement I'll be making in its start notes like I mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, but because said chapter will have plenty of revelations to pair with the news. We may only be within the starting stages of the story's Kurumi saga, but I can assure you that every arc inside of it is explosive!**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	20. Revolutionary War II, Part 2

**This is it, the conclusion to Natsumi's arc and Ratatoskr's time in America in the second half of this epic two-part battle! Last chapter ended up a pretty big cliffhanger, with the DeNA arriving with even more firepower than anything our heroes have faced so far, and Kurumi's army of clones arriving... with both Rinne and Shido fighting alongside her, and Yoshino somehow in her Inverse Form.**

 **Also, while Tohka was lucky enough to find Natsumi... she completely forgot to tell everyone, so their new ally is presumably heading towards the shelters with Tenka like everyone else. Hopefully she either remembers that in time, or Natsumi decides to take action, because otherwise... their low manpower is even worse off against the two large armies that include some of their hypnotized allies, who are incredibly powerful.**

 **How will they get out of this mess? Who knows, because it may depend on a variety of factors. Like rescuing their friends, the Fraxinus being repaired to aid them in the fight, Natsumi joining the fray, and etc. Either way, this is truly the hardest battle our heroes will have faced yet... the good news is this is going to be the last major fight for a while that ups the difficulty.**

 **Last thing before we begin? It's time for the big announcement, and the reveal I'm making is... my old story, Date A Re:Live, is getting a remake! The date of release is still unconfirmed, but it _is_ happening! Unlike the original version, this one is will be co-written by me and my friend kingpariah, so keep an eye out for this story's start notes, since I'll eventually mention when the remake will be on its way!**

 **So, without further ado? Let's get this this date/war started!**

* * *

 **[Chapter 20 - Revolutionary War II, Part 2]**

 _Rinne and Yoshino began to open their eyes, soon finding themselves in the same strange realm where Shido had found himself in._

 _"What the? Is this some kind of endless shadow?" Rinne questioned._

 _"I don't know, but I'm kind of scared..." Yoshino admitted, shaking as she looked around._

 _A loud giggle echoed around them._

 _"How delightful, you finally decided to wake up and join the party. It was quite rude how you slept the entire ride here." Kurumi greeted._

 _Both of them pressed their backs against each other._

 ** _"El!"_**  
 ** _"Adonai Elohim!"_**

 _Both their Astral Dresses formed as they prepared for anything that came their way, with Kurumi still laughing as if trying to make them raise their guards even higher._

 _Eventually, what happened next would have the opposite effects on them._

 _"Rinne? Yoshino?" A familiar voice called._

 _Hearing that voice, both of them turned to see Shido as he walked into view, looking fairly disheveled and tired._

 _"Shido!" They both shouted._

 _Both of them ran over to their weakened friend, right as he fell to his knees._

 _"Kurumi, what did you do to him!?" Rinne angrily demanded, looking for her._

 _"Not a single thing." Shido smirked._

 _Turning towards him in surprise, Shido jumped forward and forced his lips onto Rinne, making her eyes widen as she felt a dark feeling made her blood go cold. She tried to push him off, only for him to grip her tightly in a hug._

 _Yoshino gasped, realizing something was wrong with Shido and she needed to run, only for Kurumi to finally appear and grab her in a similar manner, making sure to keep her mouth covered as she did._

 _"That's right Shido... share your love with her like I did with you." Kurumi giggled, a sinister smirk on her face._

 _Just like what happened with him, shadows rose up and seeped into Rinne's skin, but it happened much quicker than with him because of how Shido caused her to drop her guard. Stopping their kiss, Rinne went silent as her pupils disappeared, showing her in a trance._

 _"Shido..." She said happily, blushing as she did._

 _"Rest for now, you'll need your strength for what we're planning." He whispered, rubbing her back to soothe her._

 _Nodding her head, Rinne let the shadows rise up and pull her into them as closed her eyes, entering a peaceful slumber._

 _"I've got Yoshino, go ahead and finish our work." Shido smirked._

 _Kurumi winked at him before disappearing, causing Yoshino to be thrown forward as he held onto her in the same manner, making her cry as she tried to shake herself free._

 _"S-Stop Shido, this isn't you!" She begged._

 _"Don't worry, I'll calm your fears for you. There's no reason to be afraid." He whispered._

 _Yoshino soon felt Shido kiss her lips, causing the same dark chill to go through her veins._

 _In just a few seconds, Shido began to rub her back, causing Yoshino to feel calmer as the shadows seeped into her and put her in the same trance as Rinne. Once she was, Yoshino rested her head against his chest._

 _"Yes... you were right. I... feel calm now... so calm." She said quietly, feeling her eyes get heavy._

 _Soon enough, she too fell asleep as the shadows began to take her where they had taken Rinne._

 _"Now, time for me to finish my side of the preparations." Shido declared._

 _He left the area, without seeing Yoshino fully pulled into the shadows, and just as they were about to do this? An unexpected guest appeared and grabbed them, making them flail around as they tried to escape the black mosaics that were Phantom's hand._

 ** _"Alright, now that I have you here... let's get this experiment started."_** _She smirked, holding her hand out._

 _Releasing some kind of dark twinkle from her hand, it flew into Scotch's body, causing the puppet's eyes to shake like a rattled marionette before its eyes glowed with a sinister light._

 _Phantom smirked and disappeared from view, right as Yoshino screamed and released a surged of Maryoku from her body as she began her Inversion._

* * *

Mio was staring in horror as Shido, the boy she loved, stood by Maiden Kurumi's side like he was a loyal ally of hers.

"Shido..." She breathed.

"You bitch! What the hell did you do to Shido!?" Kotori demanded.

Maiden Kurumi giggled as she rested her parasol over her shoulder.

"I gave him my love." She answered.

That response caused everyone to look at her like she was crazy, making her giggle turn into full blown laughter that she released for an entire minute before stopping.

"When he came into my possession, I basically made sure his heart became mine alone. Sorry to tell you this, so-called Spirit of Origin, but he no longer loves you." She revealed.

"No... you're lying, love isn't that fickle!" Mio denied, shaking her head.

"Are you serious? It's obvious that you don't know anything, because love is an emotion that will destroy the world! That's how I made him my ally and he in turn made your friends here my allies through him!" She announced.

Maiden Kurumi began to cackle before shooting the Spirits a smiling glare, her eyes glowing a terrifying red tone.

"Go ahead, _Yoshinon_... let them know just how deadly love is by showing them what happens when that love is betrayed!" Maiden ordered.

Scotch, who was now apparently called Yoshinon in this state, smirked in response.

"Get them Astaroth!" She screamed.

Hop tried to resist, but the instincts of the Demon she had been forced to become took over on that command, causing the black mechanical rabbit to let out a horrifying roar before a powerful blizzard blasted across the city.

Aside from Kotori, who's fire powers burned in response to the intense danger, felt the chills as they were thrown into the side of buildings by the winds.

"That's right! Come DeNA, let me and my power annihilate you like I will these pathetic fools currently standing in my way! I dare you!" Maiden loudly challenged.

Holding out her parasol, she spun it as roman numerals appeared.

"Status report, which Spirit is that!?" The Arbatel captain ordered.

"Well, according to our readings? The Spirit before us is registered by the code name of..." The analyst replied.

He gasped as no results came up.

"Captain, there's no data on this Spirit! We've never encountered her before!" He announced.

"What!?" The captain shouted in surprise.

Kurumi's clones turned at the DeNA's army.

 **"Zafkiel: Gimmel!"**

All of the automatons began to shake as they suddenly rusted before simply crumbling apart, making the Arbatel's captain gasp at the sight.

"She aged them!" An Arbatel crew member exclaimed.

"That Spirit manifested them through a shadow... she's the Spirit who wields Zafkiel!" The analyst realized.

Ignoring that detail, and still seething at the reduction of their army's forces, the captain released a loud scream.

"Activate the transport system! Call more automatons!" He ordered.

That caught everyone's attention.

"Captain, there's no way they'll be able to fight back against her! Don't waste them just to-" The analyst warned.

"Do as you're told! I refuse to run like some coward!" The captain roared.

Fearing what their captain might do, all his crew mates typed as the ship released lights that summoned thousands of automatons, despite Kurumi's forces easily slaughtering them with little effort.

Their wizards didn't fare any better, with their sole solace being the clones simply toyed with them instead of trying to kill them, not even using their Angels as they fought.

"Uh... captain, no offense or anything, but please tell me you have a plan behind this?" A crew member asked.

"I do. Focus all our targeting systems onto the city, we're firing the Dainsleif!" The captain ordered, thrusting his hand out.

That made the whole crew gasp.

"Our chance to gather all these spirits has come, which means the reward is enough to justify this city and all the income it gives us!" He continued, a toothy smirk on his face.

Hearing that, everyone began typing.

"Linking to nearest Dainsleif and initiating charge! The currently estimated time of firing will be in... one hour!" The analyst announced.

"Captain, we need to distract them from us. May I suggest using the Humpty Dumpty bombs from our nearest satellites?" Another crew member asked.

Their captain smirked.

"Drop all of them!" He ordered.

In response, that very crew member made the link. Somewhere within the purple field of space closest to the atmosphere, a black satellite began charging red energy slowly, while some white ones began to inject explosion energy into their egg-shaped extensions.

The eggs began to glow, soon being dropped until they reached the area above the atmosphere where they could still float and began moving themselves into position.

* * *

Back inside the White Tower, the sight of Shiori staring at the massive battle her friends were losing could be seen, and she gritted her teeth.

"I can't sit by and watch this anymore!" She shouted.

"Are you crazy!? There's no way any of us can fight! If we want to help, then we need to finish fixing the Fraxinus!" Marina exclaimed.

Shiori didn't say anything, simply placing one of her hands on the damaged Fraxinus' frame, causing a techno circle of sorts to appear.

"Wrong, because I can do both." She declared.

She jumped on her motorcycle, placing her free hand into it as she held the other out to keep her link to the ship, and then drove off through the halls before leaping out of an already broken window.

"I thought Shido was reckless, but that was just insane! They're definitely twins." Maria said in shock.

"I just wish we knew what she was thinking at that... hmm?" Elsie thought aloud.

Looking at the Fraxinus, it began to glow as the techno circle reacted to the Goetia.

"Wait, that's it!" She realized.

Her nieces looked at her in confusion as she moved her two functioning Extranet devices into the two ships, then turned to them.

"Get your Seirei Abilities ready, we're about to get a ship ready for deployment." Elsie declared.

* * *

Back on the battlefield, Maiden Kurumi could be seen as she stood before they downed Mio, holding up her parasol as it spun to show the Roman numeral for 9 on it.

 **"Zafkiel: Tet!"**

Mio was shot by it, but didn't feel anything as she stayed KO'd, leaving Maiden Kurumi to laugh before floating off with her parasol to reach a different part of the battlefield.

 _"So, how does it feel?"_ Kurumi asked.

"M-Mu... huh!?" Mio blinked in surprise.

Kurumi giggled in response, making Mio panic as she looked around for her.

 _"Don't bother, I'm basically talking to you through our minds."_ She clarified.

This made Mio's eyes widen.

"Why are you in my head right now? Get out of there!" She demanded.

 _"No, not yet."_ Kurumi refused.

"If you're trying to peak at my memories, then just give it up, because there's no way I'll let you see anything! Regardless if it's a memory that's precious or important!" Mio threatened.

Once again, Kurumi laughed at her.

 _"Even if I could do that, I have no need to peak into psyche and its contents. All I'm here for... is to make sure my one clone leads you to the depths of tragedy as she uses the love for your little Shido to destroy everything you hold dear."_ Kurumi declared.

Hearing that, Mio felt her eyes tear up before making an angry face.

"How could you be... how could you become so cruel?" She questioned.

 _"Wow, you really love to whine, don't you-"_ Kurumi sighed.

"Was everything Sawa said about you just a lie!?" Mio demanded.

At that moment, her eyes widened.

Mio suddenly heard a horrifying and painful scream be released from Kurumi's throat. If she could actually see her, Mio would have seen her holding her head as she shook in a manner resembling a panic attack.

 _"S-Sawa? Who is... Sawa?"_ Kurumi asked, suddenly feeling disoriented.

Those words caused Mio's eyes to widen.

'Did you... lose your memories!?' She wondered, feeling her eyes shake.

While distracted, an Exorcist flew towards Mio, who realized too late to protect herself.

"Take this!" Shiori shouted.

Making her motorcycle jump into the air, Shiori had it spin and smash the automaton with an impact powered by a small EMP pulse, flinging it to the ground in an inoperable state before the tumbling caused it to break apart.

Mio soon descended to the ground where Shiori stopped her bike, prompting Shiori to smile at her in response.

"You can thank me later." She stated.

"Shiori? Why are you here? I thought you were helping to fix our ship?" Mio questioned.

"Who says I'm not?" Shiori replied.

Holding out her one hand, Mio gasped as she recalled she normally had to drive her bike with two hands. If she had only one hand plugged into it, that would mean...

"Did you connect your other hand to the ship, so your Seirei Ability could help the others while you came to aid us out here?" She realized.

"It's kind of a strain on me, but this isn't the kind of situation where we get to argue about how any kind of stress is affecting us." Shiori replied.

She soon looked at all the damage Kurumi's army and the DeNA was causing.

"So, think you can fill me in on what's going on here?" Shiori asked.

"It's... the DeNA chose to attack around the same time Kurumi did, and... Kurumi's brainwashed our friends! Shido and Rinne are fighting with her, and she's somehow made Yoshino invert, causing her one puppet to go insane and take over!" Mio explained.

"Wait, what!?" Shiori said in surprise.

"I'm not even sure if Yoshino's consciousness is even present right now, but... Kurumi claims she infected Shido with her love and then he got them when Tohka was looking away." Mio continued.

She cried as she held her head, making Shiori look worried.

"And the real Kurumi... she's in my head, tormenting me over how she's stolen Shido and will use that to destroy us all." She sobbed.

Shiori scowled at that moment, looking at the Kurumi army.

"That girl's gonna pay." Shiori promised.

"Well, the new Kurumi definitely will." Mio mentioned.

Shiori paused at that, giving her a confused look.

"I mentioned Sawa's name... and she asked me who that was. I don't think this is the same Kurumi that Aini met on the night she became a Spirit, if that was even the same Kurumi by that time." Mio explained.

"OK, not sure what that means, but... if it means I can fully blame a new and horrible personality? I'll take it." Shiori replied.

Revving her cycle, she drove forward to join the battle, right as the other Spirits began to get back on their feet.

"Hey guys, come on! Don't let them smack you around!" Shiori shouted.

Hearing Shiori say that to her, Kotori chuckled before flashing a confident grin, feeling flames surround her.

"Don't worry... this is just a warmup for me!" She exclaimed.

Rushing ahead, Yoshinon laughed before making Astaroth open its mouth again.

"Try saying that once you're on the ground!" Yoshinon shouted.

A huge wave of ice fired out, causing a frozen explosion in Kotori's path. Seeing the direct hit, she laughed at Kotori's apparent misfortune as she fell on her back and let out a wicked laugh.

* * *

In some of unknown location, a beeping could be heard as Alice woke up, her cybernetics mentioning a restoration of her vision and a few other functions.

Getting on her feet, she looked around, unable to determine where she was.

"What happened to me? I can't remember... my head!" She questioned before wincing.

Holding her finger to extend what looked like an earphone jacket, she pulled it into her ear before her eyes began to glow and look through her recent memories. Just as she reached the point where the memories of meeting Mayuri should have played...

 **"May I inquire what you're trying to do?"** Phantom questioned.

Alice felt a shock go through her system, but rather than registering how she saw Phantom, she instead had her cybernetics register she lost all memory data of the time from then to her waking up just now.

This meant she didn't even realize her Mordred and Clarent, which had both been heavily damaged, had been repaired as if Mayuri had never broken them to begin with.

"This is bad... I better let everyone know what happened." She realized.

She opened a channel to DeNA's leader, and began playing the waiting game.

* * *

As Yoshinon continued her laughter... a loud scream was released from the top of Kotori's lungs, causing a huge explosion of flames to be released as her eyes glowed with the same brightness as her flames.

 **[** **Fairy Tail: Dragon Force** **]**

"W-What is this!?" Yoshinon screamed in a panic, shielding herself with her arms.

"When I get angry, my flames grow stronger, however... you are the first person that's managed to go even further. You've become the one that's successfully _pissed me off_!" Kotori screamed, glaring as her eyes glowed even more.

Seeing those eyes, Yoshinon felt all her courage disappear, like she was standing before a Dragon that recently had its reversed scale touched.

'No, this is... I'm not letting myself be turned back that stupid puppet called Scotch! I refuse to let that happen!' Yoshinon thought before scowling.

She slammed her hands into Astaroth, making the Demon roar in pain.

"Freeze this entire world Astaroth, freeze it until even that girl's flames can never burn again! Bring in an eternal ice age and don't stop no matter what you do unless I make you stop!" She screamed, her one good eye shaking with insanity.

Hop felt pain through the action, but like before, Astaroth's instincts took over as it unleashed not one, but five powerful blizzards aimed specifically at Kotori.

 **"Camael: Megiddo!"**

Changing her Angel into its canon form, Kotori blasted out a huge beam of fire that clashed against the blizzards, causing a thick steam to cover the area as everyone nearby was blinded.

Seeing this steam cover, the Arbatel captain smiled.

"It's time! Drop all of the Humpty Dumpty bombs, use this to our advantage! Let this veil hide them from their doom!" He ordered.

A crew member nodded before hitting a button.

Moments after hitting it, the bombs floating above the atmosphere finally let themselves drop into the range of Earth's gravity, their descent making them burn like meteors as they prepared to explode.

"Alright, if that's the way you want it... then I'll really have to wallop you!" Yoshinon roared.

 **"Astaroth: Assyria!"**

Astaroth roared as it was forced to merge with Yoshinon's body, becoming a black and more revealing versions of Siryon.

"Now, die!" She screamed.

Clapping her hands together, a beam of dark blue water fired out, causing Kotori to be struck as it began pushing her back, but no matter how much of it hit her? Her flames would not extinguish or cool in the slightest.

Yoshinon gasped, unable to believe Kotori's flames could really be so hot to keep burning as they were.

"Impossible... this is impossible!" Yoshinon denied.

A rogue ember flew and hit her eye patch, causing it to burn in a spot that made it come off without her notice.

"I will... not... let you use my... friend anymore!" Kotori screamed.

With that scream, the icy area was completely melted as her flames raged up like a volcano.

"N-No, it doesn't matter what you say! I'll take you-" Yoshinon denied.

At that moment, her body suddenly shook, catching Kotori's attention as she noticed her eye patch had disappeared. It didn't take long for the tightly closed right eye to open up and reveal itself as Yoshino's natural blue one.

"Kotori, hurry and defeat Scotch! Before I can't hold her back anymore!" Yoshino shouted.

"No, let me go! This is my body now!" Yoshinon panicked, trying to move her body.

Seeing this, Kotori nodded and raised her Angel, making it start to shake as its flames began to flare out of control.

"If I can't cut you down, and I can't blast you out of my way... then I'll smash you out of my friend!" She announced.

Swinging her Angel behind her, Kotori visualized a new form.

 **"Camael: Gehenna!"**

With those words, Camael's formed shifted back to an axe before further shifting into a giant hammer with fire bursting out of its sides. Yoshinon panicked as Kotori jumped high into the air.

"Now, let the flames of my rage... destroy your evil!" She screamed.

"This can't be happening!" Yoshinon shrieked.

The hammer slammed down on Yoshinon, shattering through the Assyria armor before striking her directly, causing Yoshino to return to normal as she blacked out.

Flying into the air, Hop and Scotch hovered there before disappearing.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

Feeling her fiery rage finally end as Yoshino was released from her Inverse Form and regained control of her body, Kotori's eyes stopped glowing before she collapsed onto her knees, having finally hit her limit as her healing flames fizzled out.

"I can't fight anymore, but... I did enough." She panted, smiling as she looked at Yoshino.

As she weakly tried to walk over to her, she failed to see a shadow from overhead.

*"BOOM!"*

The explosion went off, and Kotori fell to the ground, losing consciousness as she briefly saw the many Humpty Dumpty bombs finally hit New York City.

* * *

Back inside the White Tower, the Arusu twins and Elsie were seen doing fast work on the Fraxinus, only to be interrupted by heavy beeping from the twins' Crystal Callers.

"It's us. What's wrong?" Maria asked.

"I'm not sure how to describe it, but... egg-shaped bombs are dropping from the sky!" Shiori shouted.

Elsie paused at that.

"Hold on, did you just say bombs... shaped like eggs?" Marina questioned.

"Yes!" Shiori confirmed.

"OK, that's weird. Even for the DeNA." Marina remarked.

Elsie gritted her teeth in response.

"How is this possible? Why are there still Humpty Dumpty bombs in this world!?" She questioned with fury laced in her voice.

Both of her nieces looked at her.

"Aunt Elsie?" Maria asked worriedly.

"During the years the DeNA began hunting us mages, specifically around the time my father was killed... they found information on two dangerous weapons. One was a series of bombs being dropped from satellites that wielded explosive magic they stole from us." She continued.

Elsie's fist soon tightened.

"However, the other weapon was truly deadly... it struck us in the safety of our hideouts only magic should access, and that made how it was named all the more deadly. The Dainsleif, a satellite canon that turns our worlds into worlds of death." She revealed.

"Wait, are you saying that if these bombs are being used, their planning to fire at this entire city and wipe of the map!?" Marina shouted, her eyes shaking.

"Just this city? No, because if it fires..." Elsie replied, shaking her head.

Silence followed for a minute, worrying the Arusu twins and Shiori.

"It will wipe out all life in the Northeastern US, which contains most of its survivors from 30 years ago!" Elsie revealed.

They all gasped in horror.

"My god, the people of DeNA aren't power hungry... they're completely insane!" Maria exclaimed.

"Can we stop it?" Shiori asked.

"I... I don't know how, so you can't let any DeNA forces that are automatons or mechanical weaponry be left intact, and we only have less than an hour to destroy them all." Elsie answered.

Maria and Marina looked at each other before nodding in response.

"Then we need to hurry and upgrade the ship!" Marina shouted.

"Then take the lead. We'll need the tower's defenses up or those bombs will ruin our hard work, so I need to get them running." Elsie stated.

"Got it!" They all replied.

Elsie quickly ran off, hoping that they weren't too late to stop this madness.

* * *

Back outside, Origami and Miku were seen having been thrown by explosions caused by the Humpty Dumpty, which they couldn't see due to the steam caused by Kotori and Yoshinon's battle.

Tohka was similarly getting pummeled, but her powers manifested a barrier to protect her from the worst of it.

"Just what is the DeNA doing!?" Tohka questioned.

As she heard the final waves of bombs being dropped, she saw Origami and Miku collapsed onto the ground. While the bombs couldn't kill Spirits, they clearly did enough to incapacitate them.

"No way, is this... is this really it for us?" She questioned, nearly tearing up.

"It is." Rinne answered.

Gasping as she heard that, Tohka turned around, just in time for Shekhinah to land a blow on her stomach.

She fell onto her knees, looking up as Rinne's hypnotized form near her.

"When all of you chose to stand against Kurumi and get in her business, you sealed your fates. All you can do is regret the decisions that led you here." Rinne continued.

Tohka tried to get up, but struggled to do so as Rinne readied her Angel for another attack.

"Farewell." She stated.

Whipping Shekhinah forward, Tohka stared in horror as her body's weakened state left her wide open to receive the attack.

However, it never hit her.

A strange dark glow surrounded an object as it was thrown forward and struck the whip, making it strike Rinne instead, which caused her eyes to widen as she was knocked onto the ground.

 **"Haniel!"**

Tohka and Rinne's eyes widened as they heard that, right as a broomstick popped into view, aiming a green light at the ground as it materialized a crouching woman.

Looking at her, they saw her attire consisted of a purple semi-transparent suit with star patterns all over it, a belt hung at her waist that some articles of clothing attached to it, a double-layered cape, and a witch hat with a pair of bat wings and a belt with a gemstone attached on the front.

She stood up at that moment, revealing wrist gloves with oranges bows on them, and a pair of cute pump heels with big black bows on their backside, leading to the one who wore this mage-like outfit to reveal herself as a familiar model with long green hair and eyes.

"I don't believe it... you came!" Tohka smiled, crying happy tears.

"I did, sorry for making you wait this long." Natsumi smiled, looking at her.

Rinne gasped, holding Shekhinah out as she walked backwards.

"You actually found Haniel's wielder... unbelievable." She said quietly.

"No running." Tenka warned.

She turned around as she saw Tenka tossing a pebble in her palm, followed by her eyes flashing as she threw it forward, making the same dark energy from earlier cover it before it struck Rinne in the stomach and knocked her down.

"You started this fight, so you'll see it through to the end." She declared, glaring at her.

Rinne felt her entire body shake, realizing the odds had just turned against her.

"You alright?" Tenka asked, looking at Tohka.

"Yeah, but... why are you here? Especially since I forgot to both tell the others about you and why you should help us fight." Tohka inquired.

Natsumi blushed and scratched her cheeks, looking to the side.

"Well, after you left? A little something enlightened me, and I decided to join the fight, rather than run away." She answered.

She closed her eyes letting out an awkward chuckle.

* * *

 _Natsumi and Tenka watched as Tohka and Mio flew off to join their friends, causing the latter to sigh before turning around._

 _"Come on, let's get to the shelters." She stated._

 _As she was about to walk away, Natsumi suddenly grabbed her hand, making Tenka look her at her._

 _"Natsumi?" She said in surprise._

 _"Every time this city has been under attack, despite we could do something... neither of us have. Are we really going to do that again when all of them are fighting for us?" Natsumi questioned._

 _Tenka didn't say anything at first, just looking at her friend for a moment before letting out a deep breath._

 _"Honestly, I never thought you'd say something so crazy as hell as that..." She admitted, rubbing her head._

 _She turned around, walking by Natsumi._

 _"But you know what? If things are already crazy right now, then let's take a risk and bring hell to the bastards trying to ruin our city instead of the other way around." Tenka declared, flashing a smile at her._

 _Natsumi showed surprise at her friend's words, then smiled back._

 ** _"Adonai Tzabaoth!"_**

 _Equipping her Spirit armor, she took Tenka's hand before they began flying through the sky, eventually seeing the steam form._

 _"Oh no!" Natsumi shouted._

 _"Just follow my lead, nothing can reduce my accuracy!" Tenka exclaimed._

 _She pointed in one direction, leading them towards Tohka's location._

* * *

Tohka just stared at the duo in surprise, then rubbed her eyes with her arm.

"Seriously!?" She asked.

"Yep, one of my two Seirei Abilities lets me either find certain details more hidden to others, or lets something within my line of sight and range be a guaranteed hit." Tenka confirmed.

Rinne gasped before standing up, readying Shekhinah in a semi-defensive manner.

"Then I must stop you now." She realized.

Tohka gasped, only for Tenka to thrust her fingers forward, making them give off the dark glow as she held Shekhinah's tip between them.

Rinne felt herself shake from the apparently impossible action.

"Natsumi, go help the others. I'll stay here and help Tohka knock some sense into this friend of hers." Tenka stated.

"Got it, though before I go?" She nodded.

Walking towards Origami and Miku, she put her hands on them, and their bodies glowed as their physical injuries healed. Tohka gasped at the sight before she walked to her, doing the same as her external pain vanished.

"There, now good luck you two." Natsumi winked, waving at them.

She hopped on her broomstick, flying off like she was a witch.

"Before we start this fight, I gotta know. Does your friend have any kind of defensive abilities?" Tenka inquired.

"No, why do you ask?" Tohka replied, looking confused.

"Never mind, it only matters when the answer's yes." She replied, looking somewhat annoyed.

Tohka blinked a few times.

"Uh... OK?" She replied.

Tenka pulled her whip towards the two, making Rinne fly forward as Tohka jumped up and smacked her with her sword, causing her to slam into the nearby wall.

 **"Shekhinah: Paradise Lost!"**

Various petals flew at the two, prompting Tohka to shield Tenka as the petals scattered across the ground.

"I'd use these, but they're too light for me to throw at the speed that activates my Seirei Ability." Tenka grunted.

"Then just give me an opening." Tohka requested.

Tenka nodded, and rushed ahead, prompting Rinne to whip Shekhinah at her, which she just barely dodged as she slid under the Angel's range.

 **"Sandalphon: Ratelibish!"**

Her throne rose, making Rinne watch as she formed her armor, giving Tenka the chance lock her in a hold.

"Do it now!" She shouted.

"Take... this!" Tohka screamed.

She gasped as a slash wave came her way, right as Tohka teleported to grab Tenka and help her avoid the attack. Rinne screamed as she was hit, but she managed to keep herself standing.

"That won't be... enough to-" Rinne stated.

At that exact moment, her eyes widened before she collapsed to the ground, her Astral Dress fading as her eyes closed.

"Rinne? Rinne!?" Tohka worriedly called to her.

"That was too random for it to be anything we did, much less her just fainting... something doesn't feel right." Tenka realized, looking around the area.

A huge explosion of Reiryoku was heard behind them, getting their attention as something was seen flying from where it occurred.

"What was that!?" Tohka asked.

"I don't know, but that flying object? I have a bad feeling about it." Tenka replied.

"Should we go after it then?" Tohka suggested.

Tenka nodded her head, prompting Tohka to grab her and the other downed Spirits before rushing towards the mysterious object.

* * *

Natsumi arrived at the scene where Mio and Shiori were currently dealing with the multiple automatons and Kurumi clones, all while trying to guard the unconscious Kotori and Yoshino as they laid on the ground.

"Shiori, there's too many of them! I could run out of Reiryoku at any moment!" Mio warned.

"I kind of figured when you stopped using Ain Soph Aur against them!" Shiori replied.

Mistakenly believing that Mio was Aini, the sight caused Natsumi to glare at both the DeNA army and Kurumi's clones, prompting her to grab Haniel's tip and zoomed forward.

"Get away from them!" She shouted.

Hearing her voice, both armies stopped to see her approach, while Mio and Shiori gasped as they realized who she was.

"I don't believe!" Mio exclaimed.

"We can have our reunion later, let me help even the odds for you!" Natsumi announced, smiling at Mio as she did.

Mio gave an awkward laugh, knowing exactly why she said that.

At the same time, the crew members of the Arbatel saw Natsumi, which caused their captain to growl.

"It was bad enough you fired me, but now you choose to interfere in this battle!?" He roared.

"Hmm?" Natsumi blinked, looking at the ship.

However, after taking a moment to register his voice, a deadpan expression formed on her face.

"Of course, if you were really a terrorist, then it's no wonder you were an awful manager... _Pouting on_." She replied.

"Paddington! My name is James A. Paddington!" He screamed.

Shaking her head, Natsumi turned to Mio and Shiori.

"Allow me, I can easily clean up the trash he's left in this city." She requested.

"Go ahead, we need to rest." Shiori allowed.

Natsumi smiled, right as James looked at his crew.

"Have all our forces aim at Witch! Don't let her get in our way, now when we're this close!" He demanded, his eyes nearly bugging out.

"Setting command to all automatons and giving orders to all wizards! Target the Spirit known as Witch!" The analyst confirmed.

The wizards launched their missiles while many automatons fired out their lasers. As the latter approached, Natsumi giggled and simply spun her Angel, making Haniel do a twirl as it moved to block each laser blast.

"Take this!" She exclaimed.

A rainbow shot out, causing all of the missiles to turn into anime carrots, making Mio and Shiori's eyes go white. They even exploded on the ground with cartoon smoke clouds and sound bubbles that said **_Boom!_** inside.

The wizards on the other hand? Their outfits all turned into animal suits, and they all suddenly screamed, landing on the ground with the occasional cartoon collisions.

"What... the hell!?" James shouted in disbelief.

Natsumi laughed at the result she made, right until one carrot exploded near hear, briefly leaving her hair a spiky mess.

"I probably should have made them pigs." She realized, shaking her hair back to normal.

"Regardless of what you chose, I think you just wiped out their entire army by yourself!" Mio praised, still in shock.

A vein formed on James' head as he heard that.

"We need more automatons! Hurry!" He ordered.

"Sir, we can't! We stressed the transporter past its limits! If we try it now, the ship will catch on fire!" A crew member warned.

"Are you serious!?" James shouted in anger.

Just to make things worse, a report came up and showed him just how many automatons they had lost. His eyes widened at the listed number.

"Then let's use the ship to attack them directly! Give the Dainsleif time to finish charging!" He ordered.

Moving their hands to specific levers, the entire crew pulled them down, causing the Arbatel to start preparing an attack.

"Are they going to fight us with the ship directly!?" Shiori realized.

"Get behind me! I'm going to try and defend against it!" Mio ordered.

Natsumi and Shiori didn't argue and did just that as she held her hands out, right as various slots on the Arbatel opened to fire a storm of attacks too fast for even Natsumi to use Haniel against.

 **"Ain Soph Aur!"**

The flower bloomed, but this time Aura was absent since it wasn't being used as a weapon, but a shield to block the attack. Right on cue, they were bombarded with a wave of magical gunfire.

Due to the intensity of the attack, it didn't take very long for one of Ain Soph Aur's petals to shatter.

"Can't... hold it!" Mio shouted, sweating in a panic.

"Well, it was nice knowing you." Maiden Kurumi joked.

Shido simply nodded as he watched, right as the second petal broke off, quickly followed by another. As this was happening, Mio closed her eyes.

'Shido... if only you weren't under her control, then I could at least say goodbye if this is really our end!' She cried, keeping her eyes closed.

"Fire!" Maria ordered.

The Arbatel was suddenly attacked by a laser, causing everyone inside to be thrown around as the bottom extension of the ship was destroyed, causing everyone but James to lose consciousness.

"What? What's going on!?" James demanded.

"We're what's going on!" Marina answered.

Mio, Shiori, and Natsumi all turned around as they recognized that voice, and they saw it.

 **[** **Date A Live III: I Swear** **]**

Flying in the air... was the restored and upgraded Fraxinus!

"Yes, you made it! Thanks for the save you two!" Shiori cheered.

"That's right, we rushed through it all and we made it! By merging the tech Elsie gave us, and using the Goetia as part of the construction, we now give to you... the new Fraxinus EX!" Marina announced.

At that moment, Mio took a good look at its completed state.

Where its original and incomplete form could be best defined as resembling a withered leaf? This was a fresh and healthy leaf, befitting the design that Elliot had intended it to be from the beginning.

Hearing the name of one of their ships, James growled before getting back in his seat.

"How dare you take one of our ships as your own! If that's the way you want to play, then I'll smash your pathetic ship with the might of Arbatel's power!" He announced.

Typing in a code, he took full control of the Arbatel as it began charging a beam.

"Firing the Longinus Cannon!" He screamed.

An incredibly fast beam fired out of the Arbatel, only for the Fraxinus EX to shift to the side, dodging it with a level of speed that even the Goetia wasn't able to achieve.

"Impossible!" James shouted in disbelief.

"I think you need to stop underestimating us! We've suffering under your tyranny long enough, so now's the time for us to show you just how strong we've become after pushing ourselves beyond our limits!" Maria retorted, pointing her finger forward.

Both her and Marina typed on their keyboards.

"Lif! Lifthrasir! Get ready to take them out with the Ragnarok!" They both announced.

Two lights, one light blue and another pink, representing AIs appeared in response.

 _"Readying main weapon systems."_ Lif responded.

 _"Territory changes for defenses have been applied. All conditions to fire have been met."_ Lifthrasir responded.

The ship shifted into an opened state, readying its attack.

"I won't let you end this... as your victory! Arbatel, override safety protocol! Make the Dainsleif fire this instant!" James ordered, slamming the console.

The black satellite began sparking before firing its beam, taking some damage in the process.

 **"Ragnarok!"**

Hundreds of rainbow-colored Reiryoku streams were unleashed from the Fraxinus EX's entire body, blasting the Arbatel with incredibly force as something flew out beyond anyone's notice.

Inside the ship, James gave one last scream as he alone witnessed the end of him and his entire crew, being consumed by energy before the Arbatel exploded. Maiden Kurumi felt her eyes widen as she saw the smoking remains.

"Yes!" Mio cheered.

"Good, now that we've dealt with this... let's get rid of this clone army." Natsumi smirked.

Looking at the clones, the all aimed at her.

 **"Zafkiel: Zayin!"**

As the bullets fired, Natsumi held out Haniel, which began to glow.

 **"Haniel: Kaleidoscope!"**

 **"Zadkiel!"**

A familiar mechanical rabbit appeared, causing the bullets to be knocked aside as they stared at it, making Maiden Kurumi drop her parasol.

"She can even copy other Angels!?" Maiden gasped.

"Alright, freeze this army into oblivion!" Natsumi ordered.

Opening its jaw, Haniel unleashed the powerful blizzard, this time aiming specifically at Kurumi's clones, with Mio staring in awe as it destroyed all of them besides Maiden Kurumi.

Natsumi held her hand out, causing her Angel to regain its original form and return to her hand.

"Don't celebrate just yet! According to Elsie, there's a satellite weapon that's about to fire on us, and if it does? All life living in the Northeast area of America will be wiped out!" Marina warned.

That made everyone gasp, with even Maiden Kurumi shocked to hear the existence of such a weapon.

Unfortunately, it was at that moment the Dainsleif fired, sending an unsteady beam towards the ground.

"I've got this!" Mio shouted.

 **"Ain!"**

She unleashed the light of her strongest Angel, only for a powerful Anti-Territory barrier to generate and keep her attack from reaching the beam.

"No, I can't stop it!" She screamed, feeling her eyes shake.

"Then... this is it?" Natsumi asked, turning pale as she stared at it.

"Like hell it is!" Tenka shouted.

Everyone turned to see Tohka flying towards them, with Tenka and Rinne in hand, failing to notice something nearing the downed Yoshino and Kotori.

"Tohka, think you can lend me your sword?" Tenka asked.

"I'm... not sure." She admitted, feeling nervous about trying.

"No choice then, you'll have to throw me at that thing!" Tenka replied, focusing her gaze at the Anti-Territory barrier.

Tohka's eyes widened.

"Just do it!" Tenka ordered.

"Not sure why, but... it isn't my fault if you die from this!" She replied.

She tossed Tenka towards the air, making everyone stare as she neared the barrier, with only Natsumi having any idea of what she was trying as she a confident smile formed on her face.

Spinning around, she thrust her hand forward.

 **"Shatter!"**

In just a few seconds, her hand was coated in the same dark glow as she thrust it towards the barrier... which shattered like it was glass! This caused everyone aside from Natsumi to gasp in shock.

"No way... such an amazing Seirei Ability..." Shiori praised, still staring at Tenka.

"Tenka... thank you." Mio smiled.

Pushing her hands out more, she screamed as Ain blasted out its full power again, this time smashing itself against the Dainsleif's beam and then devouring it. Her Angel's light continued doing this until it spread across the sky until finally...

It smashed into the DeNA satellites, completely erasing them and all their data in the process, making Mio stare for a moment.

'So, this is the power... of the Origin Spirit!?' Maiden Kurumi thought.

At that moment, everyone cheered at what they unanimously agreed was a complete victory against the DeNA!

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

Maiden Kurumi sweated at the thought she was about to meet her end, until out of nowhere... something made her smirk. It was around this time Mio looked her way, giving her an angry stare.

"Give it up Kurumi! You've lost your army, and even the DeNA's presence didn't stop us! Return Shido before I destroy you!" She demanded.

 _"Are you sure?"_ Kurumi asked.

Snapping her fingers, a surviving clone revealed that it had survived, showing she had Kotori in her grasp. This made everyone gasp as they turned around, seeing Kotori was no longer by Yoshino's side.

* * *

Elsie was inside the White Tower, monitoring everything, right up to the moment she saw her daughter be the difference between life and death.

Seeing the Dainsleif, along with the Humpty Dumpty bombs, get erased alongside their data? She let out a sigh of relief as she cried.

"Did you see that everyone? We've... finally avenged you." She cried.

Letting her inner child from the time of the mage hunt, Elsie let out all the sadness and tears she had to hold back to keep herself going, knowing that everyone who died prior to her brother's actions had finally been avenged.

"With that... I think my work here is done, and I can finally-" Elsie said to herself, wiping her last few tears.

Right as she said that, she noticed an odd reading that caused the alarms to go off. Realizing something was wrong, she widened her eyes at the video feed before taking a closer look.

One she was almost certain was necessary, even if not for a reason based on survival.

* * *

Moments before Elsie's examination, everyone was seen staring Maiden Kurumi down as her clone held Kotori close.

"Looks like I've got a consolation prize." Maiden smirked.

"Stop talking tough! We freed Yoshino and defeated Rinne, so you've lost more than you gained!" Shiori stated, glaring at the elite clone.

Maiden Kurumi laughed in response.

"Wrong. As long as Shido is under my real self's thrall, they will be too, and now... it's time for me to take another of your allies." She declared.

Shido realized that was his cue, and walked to Kotori.

"No!" Mio shouted, rushing at him.

"Welcome to our side, Kotori." Shido declared.

He kissed her unconscious form... only for his eyes to widen, suddenly dropping Kotori as he screamed in pain. Mio stopped in place as she saw this, while Maiden Kurumi was confused as he unleashed a powerful surge of Reiryoku into the sky.

"I don't get it... what's going on here!?" The Kurumi clone asked.

Shido's hair shadowed his eyes as he looked down, only for his head to lurch up with red eyes that even scared Kurumi.

 _"T-This wasn't supposed to happen!"_ Kurumi questioned.

"Hey, no need to get feisty Shido, just... calm down!" Maiden Kurumi begged.

Shido held his hand out, and the Kurumi clone suddenly dissolved into Reiryoku that was pulled into his hand, as was the other remnant Reiryoku across the field. Maiden Kurumi began to panic at everything going awry.

At the same time as this, Mio felt a sudden pain in her chest, which also happened to Kotori, Origami, Miku, and Tohka, the former three waking up from it. However, Rinne and Yoshino instead began screaming in pain as they stayed unconscious.

"Hey, what's wrong with you guys!?" Natsumi asked, starting to freak out.

"I'm... not sure, but... I think it's linked to Shido!" Mio answered, still holding her chest in pain.

As the pain faded away, the Spirits who regained consciousness all looked at Shido in horror.

"Uh... anyone want to fill us in?" Kotori asked.

"Long story short? Kurumi tried to make Shido hypnotize you onto her side, but it backfired, and now Shido's apparently gone crazy from it." Shiori explained.

She paled at that, right as Shido grabbed Maiden Kurumi.

"N-No, stop it! Let me go! Please, I beg of you! I... I'm not the one that-" Maiden struggled, crying slightly.

Shido unleashed a loud roar, and before Maiden Kurumi realized it, her body dissolved into Reiryoku that Shido absorbed. If that alone didn't scare everyone, he soon put his hands together for an attack.

 **"Release!"**

In a single moment, a powerful blast caused everyone to be knocked back as he began flying into the sky, zipping around to generate power as the Spacequake Alarm went off.

"Please, someone say they have an idea of what's going on here!?" Maria begged, starting to panic.

"I do." Elsie said, speaking through the Fraxinus' communication channels.

That same communication spread into everyone's Crystal Callers, which caused Natsumi and Tenka to get close to the others as they listened in.

"Really? Then what's wrong with Shido?" Mio asked.

"I've been looking over the readings after I noticed the flare, and I think the reason why Shido had no problems when he put Yoshino and Rinne into his thrall, but kissing Kotori caused this result? It's because out of the three, Kotori is the only one whose powers are currently linked to Mio's." Elsie revealed.

"Say what now?" Natsumi asked, being the only one who didn't know what that meant.

Mio gasped as she realized it, thinking back to the last time she linked with a Spirit.

"I completely forgot! We never linked Rinne's power to me after all that craziness with the Hecatoncheires ended, and Yoshino got her powers after Shido was kidnapped, so we had no way to link hers!" She realized.

"So, if I'm hearing this right... I was protected from that trick of Kurumi's, but that in turn caused some kind of problem inside of Shido?" Kotori asked.

"Yes and no. He's unstable right now, but not so much because you did anything. Though that's the best I can say unless Kurumi mentioned something that might be a clue." Elsie answered, trying to find some kind of answer.

Mio gasped.

"Love! The answer is love!" Mio realized.

 _'What!?"_ Kurumi questioned.

"Eh!?" Everyone shouted in surprise.

"Kurumi said that she gave Shido her love, and that he did the same to Rinne and Yoshino! However, all of the Spirits who are linked to me right now are also the girls he's in love with, so Kotori's love must have gone into him instead!" Mio explained.

That made everyone gasp.

"Yes, I think that's it! Kotori must have erased some of Kurumi's influence! However, she wasn't enough, so the conflicting forms of love are causing to go Shido on a rampage that must be evolving his body into that of a Pure Spirit's." Elsie warned.

"And... what will happen if we don't stop him?" Origami asked.

Elsie went quiet, but Mio already knew the answer.

"We'll have a repeat of 30 years ago, if not even worse." She stated, feeling her eyes shake.

At that moment, everyone's eyes widened.

"Then... we need to save him, right now!" Tohka realized.

"But how? He's moving too fast!" Miku questioned.

"I could trap him with Ain Soph, but... we'd need to hold him in place, otherwise he'll escape my range. I don't have enough power to cast it more than once." Mio suggested.

As they stared at Shido, trying to think of a plan... he was suddenly frozen in place.

 **[** **Date A Live III: I Swear - Orchestral** **]**

While everyone began gawking at the unexpected chance they got, they failed to see Phantom hiding nearby.

 **"Yes, save this boy... and then let the final Dominion be born!"** She announced, only heard by herself.

She sunk out of view.

"There's our chance!" Mio exclaimed.

 **"Ain Soph!"**

The metallic tree formed as her personal world formed around her, and when Shido finally escaped, he was unable to leave its boundaries.

"Miku! Tohka! Origami! All of us need to kiss him, so hurry and take the lead!" Mio announced.

"You've got it!" They all responded.

Tohka took the lead, rushing towards Shido as he growled and looked in her direction.

 **"Yahweh: Camael!"**

Forming a solid energy outline of Kotori's weapon, Tohka gasped as the fire blasted her body, but Ratelibish shielded before breaking off, which gave her the chance to swing Sandalphon and quickly knock it out of his hands.

"Don't worry Shido, I'm here to help you! I can finally repay you for all you've given me!" Tohka smiled.

She kissed him, causing his aura to flare as he screamed, knocking her towards the ground.

 **"Gabriel: Rondo!"**

Sound wrapped around him, holding him in place as he struggled, giving Miku the chance to kiss him.

"I just had an indirect kiss with Tohka!" Miku cheered.

"That was _not_ an indirect kiss, and you know it!" Tohka shouted.

Once again, Shido's aura blasted out.

As Miku was knocked away, Origami quickly flew towards Shido, holding her hand out.

 **"Metatron!"**

Her Angel's pillars shot forward, right as Shido held out his hand.

 **"Yahweh: Sandalphon!"**

He formed an energy outline of Sandalphon and slashed it through Metatron, then right as Origami got near him? He slashed at her as well. Luckily, her Seirei Ability activated and moved her to safety in time.

"Just a little longer, don't give up Shido!" She begged.

Kissing him seconds after she said this, his aura blasted her away, and the entire city began to rumble.

"Shido!" Mio screamed.

Flying towards him, she smashed into his body, knocking him to the ground as he held Yahweh in both hands, tightening his grip on it.

"Shido, I'm your final opponent!" She announced.

He growled at her, holding out Yahweh with a wild aura.

"Mio, catch!" Tohka shouted.

Mio turned, seeing Sandalphon being thrown at her before she caught it, using Ain Soph's power to wield the Angel that normally only Tohka could use.

"Spacequake ripples are starting to form! Hurry!" Kotori warned.

"Don't worry, I won't fail Shido! That's a promise!" She replied.

Both of them charged at each other, smashing the real and fake Sandalphon swords against each other, with Mio being the one starting to gain the upper hand. Soon enough, she slashed Yahweh out of his hand.

However, at that same moment? Her Astral Dress disappeared, causing Ain Soph and Sandalphon to disappear, making her gasp in horror.

"She's out of Reiryoku!" Natsumi exclaimed.

Shido immediately held his hands towards her, charging a powerful attack between them.

 **"Roaring Flash Blast Wave!"**

Mio was flung into a nearby building, making everyone gasp as they ran towards her.

"Mio!" They shouted.

"Stop, don't get any closer, and don't interfere!" She shouted, holding a hand up.

She got on her feet.

"Right now, I can feel it... that I can only save him if I do this on my own!" Mio stated, her eyes filled with determination.

He responded by unleashing waves that replicated the event she caused shortly before the two of them became a couple.

Everyone was in awe by how she pressed forward, even as they slammed into her.

"Do you remember this Shido? Back then, you reached out to me even as I pushed everyone away, you made a promise to me... and now it's my turn to return the favor!" Mio shouted.

Shido gasped as he heard that, giving her the last push she needed to reach him.

 **[** **Date A Live: D.A.L. Nap** **]**

Kurumi, watching everything through Mio's eyes as it was happening, was shocked.

 _"What is this? I... don't understand, how could you achieve something like this? You don't have any power left, and he's pummeling you! Just how are you even able to reach out to him through all this chaos!?"_ Kurumi demanded.

'The answer's simple, so simple that even you would understand... if you didn't view love the way you did.' Mio answered.

Kurumi went silent in response.

At that moment, she gasped as she saw all of the good memories Mio had of Shido, including one with Sawa... a memory that made her eyes shake as her mind tried with no success to remember the best friend who was like a sister to her.

 _"No, you're... you're lying!"_ Kurumi denied.

Mio closed her eyes, smiling in a way that added to the already troubled Kurumi's confusion.

 _"Why are you smiling!?"_ She questioned.

'Because if you truly loved someone like I do, then you would get it. Shido gives me a feeling to push further that I don't get with anyone else. A feeling that's just for me and him alone, which is why love will never be an emotion that will destroy the world as you claim it will. Because love... it's the emotion that will save this world!' Mio announced.

At that moment, she kissed Shido with all the feelings she'd stored up since they had been separated from Kurumi's plans, and at that moment... his face and eyes widened as the shadows and glow within them faded, causing his real face to show itself once again.

 **[** **Insert Song End** **]**

Kurumi let out a loud scream as her Tet's effects were dispelled, and a glowed pulsed off Shido as if to say he was now immune to the brainwashing trick she used on her.

"Mio? Where... where am I? Are you OK?" He asked.

"Welcome home, you idiot." Mio smiled, closing her eyes.

At that moment, she fell asleep as she embraced him, with everyone smiling happy at the sight. They had defeated Kurumi's army, dealt a major blow to the DeNA, and most of all... Shido was home!

* * *

Hours passed by, soon nearing the start of the sun's descent.

After a lengthy period of using Realizers to repair the city, which the SSS and Ratatoskr aided Elsie with to speed things along, New York City was back to how it had been before the three-way attack had begun.

"So, I was being controlled by Kurumi since the early AM hours of today?" Shido asked, trying to confirm what everyone told him.

"Yeah, and that's when we came here under Aini's suggestion, leading to her and the DeNA attacking us together." Origami confirmed.

Shido sighed.

"I'm sorry that I was the reason for all of this." He apologized.

"Don't blame yourself, it was Kurumi's fault." She reassured him.

Both of them soon looked at the side, revealing they were in the Fraxinus EX's upgraded medical room, where he, Rinne, and Yoshino were all resting. Luckily, the latter two were simply exhausted and resting from the strain of being possessed.

Shido himself was in a similar state, but his wasn't as bad because as confirmed by Maria and Marina, he had become a Pure Spirit now, and his body had recovered slightly as a result of the strength he gained from this.

"Besides, all that matters now is that we saved you from her." Origami smiled, leaning towards him.

Shido felt Origami hug him, and he slowly returned it. That was when Natsumi walked into the room.

"Hey, we need you to join us on the bridge." Natsumi stated.

"Oh, right. I'm on my way right now." She replied.

She gave Shido a smile before he nodded, and followed Natsumi to the bridge, right as a certain someone joined Shido in the medical room.

As the two of them arrived, Origami was surprised to see both Elsie and Tenka were on the ship with them, along with all but one (namely the one with blue energy lines) of Elsie's Extranet devices.

"Elsie? Tenka? Why are you two here?" She asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm returning to Japan with you." Elsie answered.

"As for me?" Tenka answered.

She held her wrist, revealing a dark-colored Crystal Caller with Magenta accents on it.

"I'm a part of Ratatoskr now." She revealed.

Origami stared at the two with surprise in her eyes.

"Elsie's always wanted to go home, and Tenka's always wanted to do something exciting, so when I asked if they wanted to join me? Both of them jumped at the chance." Natsumi revealed.

"What about Elsie being the President?" Origami asked.

"I've passed that role to a worthy successor. Because we took out that Arbatel captain, we've managed to cut off all of the DeNA's influence in America, along with the income they were using to support themselves." She answered.

That got everyone's attention.

"We've always wondered how the DeNA has kept itself afloat, and now? It seems the answer is the rest of the world has agents they're using to gather money. Taking their loss of influence here, and how many automatons they lost in the latest battle, I'm certain you've dealt a major blow to them." Haruko explained.

"Guess they ended up taking a bet they couldn't win." Tatsuo chuckled.

Haruko and Kotori sighed at their husband/father's choice of humor.

"Best of all? It seems now we know why Elsie's one satellite could never get far enough, and it's because the DeNA satellites shot it down. Once we get back to Japan... we'll have enough photo data to make a new map of the world!" Maria cheered.

Origami smiled at that.

"That's awesome!" She smiled.

It was that that moment Natsumi noticed something.

"Hey, where's Mio?" She asked.

Only then did everyone else realize she was gone, though it wasn't as hard to know where she was, leading everyone back to the medical room to see her and Shido talking.

* * *

Alice was currently seen before the DeNA leader, who was currently seen playing with a stress ball.

"So, you never made it to America..." The leader stated.

"I'm afraid not, and I can't confirm why, other than I likely damaged my memory in some unknown battle. I apologize for being unable to carry out this task." She apologized.

"No, this was a blessing in disguise." They replied.

Hearing that, Alice gave a confused look at the leader.

"I just got word our team in America encountered the owner of Zafkiel, who we have given the code name of Nightmare. With both her in the way, along with Witch aiding the other Spirits... we have lost our hold on the US along with 75% of our automatons, all because that moron called in too many. Due to this and the loss of income, we can only send out wizards to fight the DEM and etc. for an unknown amount of time." They revealed.

Alice gasped.

"Then... what you're saying is... if I had actually arrived..." She realized.

"Yes, and in return? That means you'll have more chances to get avenge yourself. Until then, get some rest until I give you new orders." The leader confirmed.

She nodded before walking off, leaving the leader to sigh as they slumped into their chair, breaking the stress ball.

* * *

Back in the medical room, Shido was seen with Mio, who was currently using a single crutch to walk because of using all her power and the damage she had taken. Aside from that, she was perfectly fine and just needed time for her Reiryoku to replenish.

"Shido..." She breathed, happy tears in her eyes.

"Mio... even if you tell me otherwise, I need to apologize about everything. Seeing me get captured before your eyes must have been awful for you to go through." He replied, bowing towards her.

Mio slowly walked towards his bed, sitting by its side as she began cutting an apple for him to eat.

"It's OK. While it did hurt... I think I found new strength realizing it was my turn to save you this time, and it let me know how to lead besides just trusting or following your lead." Mio reassured him.

While she was distracted, he looked at the nameless Angel that was Yahweh's predecessor, now damaged beyond repair as its powers either now in Yahweh or himself. It was shortly after he pulled it out that it changed shape and made his eyes widen.

At that moment, he knew exactly what he needed to do, closing his eyes as he turned towards her.

"Here you go!" She smiled, holding out the apple slices.

"Thanks." Shido smiled.

Eating the slices, neither he or Mio noticed everyone near the door, watching and listening to what was going on with interest. Then, once he ate all the apple slices...

"Mio, there's something I need to say to you." He said seriously.

"What is it?" Mio asked, looking concerned.

"This entire incident has made me realize anything could happen, and I won't lie, it's scary. We don't know what will happen..." Shido stated.

Yoshino and Rinne's eyes slowly opened, causing them to hear what Shido was saying as they began to listen.

"However, I'm sure about us. That's why I need to make the kind of promise to make sure nothing like this can ever happen again. You're special to me, and if it wasn't for you, my love for Kotori, Origami, Tohka, and Miku would have never happened." He continued.

Kotori just smiled at that, while Origami and Miku teared up a little, and Tohka turned her head away to hide the huge blush that now on her face.

"Uh... no offense Shido, but I'm not sure what you're trying to tell me." Mio admitted.

"I know, and that's the point." He replied.

Mio was confused, and at that moment, he held out his hand before opening it. Everyone covered their mouths to hide their gasps, while Mio herself gave a loud one as her eyes began to shake at what she saw.

In his hand were a pair of iridescent rings that had once been his nameless Angel, which could only mean one thing.

"I want to make a promise that I'll never leave you again, and always be by your side... though I can't make that on my own. So, before anyone else... even though it may be a bit premature and early for me to even consider this with you?" Shido continued.

He took a deep breath, Shido forced all his courage to his heart and throat, and said the one sentence that would change their lives.

"Mio, will you become an official member of the Takamiya Family... and marry me!?" He nervously asked.

Tears welled up in her eyes before she smiled, causing all of them to flow out, leaving her speechless for a good minute as no words could make their way into her throat. Once they could, it was obvious what the answer was.

"Yes! Yes! Of course I'll be your bride!" Mio accepted, sniffling slightly as she smiled.

Shido smiled before taking Mio's hand, and slipping one of the rings on her finger, then allowing her to do the same. They simply looked at each other with smiling, blushing faces before they gave each other a warm hug and gentle kiss.

Taking this moment to avoid being seen, Rinne and Yoshino pretended they were still asleep while the others headed back to the bridge.

"Hey, are you guys OK with having seen that? I mean, I know you're also his girlfriends, but-" Natsumi inquired, looking a little concerned.

"Mio's always been the head of the harem, and after everything she went through, along with being the reason Shido was convinced to even have a harem so that we could also love him? This is the one time we can afford to not be jealous, and simply be happy for her." Kotori answered.

Natsumi blushed slightly at those words, turning back to look at Shido.

'If that's true, then... he must be an amazing guy. Maybe I should try and see if that's the case with me?' She thought, wondering if Shido might be her own special someone.

When she had the free time, Natsumi would see if these feelings of hers were the blossoming signs of love.

* * *

Somewhere else in the world, specifically the shores of Brazil, the sight of Phantom could be seen as she stood by Hop and Scotch. Picking them up, she seemed a little... disappointed.

 **"So, despite everything... you ended up amounting to nothing. I wasted my time thinking your loss would give me what I wanted."** She stated, frowning at the result.

Phantom prepared to rip the puppets apart, when suddenly... Scotch's body shook.

She stared in surprise as a strange sound blasted her ears, and the two puppets began to transform. Whatever they became, Phantom smiled, implying that _this_ is what she had been hoping would happen.

 **"It's still not exactly what I'm looking for, but... this is a good sign that I'm getting close. Although, I'll need a good test subject for it."** Phantom stated.

Moving her hand, an image of Tenka appeared before she let out a quiet cackle.

As this happened, someone deeper within Brazil felt a chill when Phantom began her cackling, even though she hadn't heard it. The someone in question was a girl with long orange hair, tied in a long braid that made her hair seem short, with a curvy figure and a vague expression with purple eyes she seemed to always keep half closed.

Her attire seemed to be something you'd see being worn by an Amazon, consisting of a strip of purple cloth around her chest which had straps going over her shoulders to her back, and a pareo of the same color around her waist. She also wore brown boots that revealed her toes like sandals, and a large purple bow that she used to hold her braid.

"Strange, what was that?" She asked herself.

"Hey, Yuzuru! Are you getting the food!?" Someone shouted.

Hearing that, the girl known as Yuzuru sighed before turning around, looking towards the direction of her unseen home.

"I'm getting it mom!" Yuzuru shouted.

She held her hand out, blasting out a gust of wind to knock some fruit into her basket. As she began hauling it home, Punker Kurumi waited for her to walk out of sight before rising out of the tree's shadow.

"So, you're saying that Maiden is gone?" Punker inquired, watching Yuzuru leave.

 _"I'm afraid so, which is exactly why we need to try getting the other Spirits under our thrall before they're made immune."_ Kurumi confirmed.

"Why bother? That boy's power can still remove your possession, so what's the point of even trying?" Punker questioned.

 _"I have my ways. True, we lost a lot of my clones and Maiden was silenced, however..."_ She answered, clenching her fists.

Silence followed before Punker felt her cock eye going crazy, hearing strange laughter come from the real Kurumi to match the erratic movement of her clock, freaking Punker out a little.

 _"I have someone else to keep an eye on. Namely, this Phantom figure who contacted Chuuni and may have left something in one of the other Spirits, and once I do... then I'll make sure to destroy all of her plans!"_ Kurumi declared.

At that same moment, Phantom turned around, giving a small smirk as if she heard Kurumi... and accepted her challenge.

* * *

 **What an incredible victory for Ratatoskr! They managed to rescue Shido, Rinne, and Yoshino from Kurumi's grasp, they now possess the Fraxinus EX, have dealt a major blow to DeNA through Mio's annihilation of both their Dainsleif weapons and Humpty Dumpty bombs in both all their existing devices and the blueprint information, and they've had Natsumi _and_ Tenka officially join Ratatoskr! For the first time, the DeNA has suffered total defeat from their losses!**

 **Not only that, but Shido's now a Pure Spirit with an official Angel, which is named after God himself. However, none of that compares to him proposing to Mio with rings his old Angel turned into! While they won't be married for a while, I think it was a nice touch since it was Shido saving Mio that made them a couple, so having her save him felt like the perfect time for him to propose, and I wasn't going to waste it.**

 **For those who are wondering what Kurumi meant by how she put Shido into her control by her love, which allowed him to do the same to Rinne and Yoshino after she captured them? That's a little something taken from the White Queen, and it's a terrifying power. Without giving too much away, it causes anyone infected to become loyal to her, and due to something about the Quasi-Spirits... it's also something that would help them, making it a cruel panacea of sorts.**

 **However, this indirectly helps benefit harem developments, since like I said before? Being infected by Kurumi's love will help set her up to join the harem, and since Shido spread this to Rinne and Yoshino... *giggles* well, you get the idea. Likewise, it seems that everything Natsumi has seen and heard about Shido has made her heart flutter towards him. Although, in case anyone asks? Tenka won't join the harem.**

 **Well, like the ending scene showed you? The next location is in Brazil to meet up with Yuzuru... that's right, _just_ Yuzuru, because the Kaguya and Yuzuru of this story aren't twins like in canon, but mother and daughter! Unfortunately, it will be a while before we see them, because our heroes are heading back to Japan so they can rest and recover from everything that's happened to them since Osaka to New York. That, and tomorrow is Monday, so they have school.**

 **Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


End file.
